Howl of the Blood Moon
by XenoInLove
Summary: "You cannot defeat it. I've tried. It survived. Don't you see, it's still there, after all those years. It's alive. We are all going to die." An ancient evil has arisen. Two mortal foes make a stand against it. And should they fail, the rage of the Blood Moon will consume everything. Rated M for good reasons. M/M, Sequel to Nightmare In Love. / Hiatus-esque state
1. Chapter 1

They say frontier work is dirty work.

"Where no Man has gone before" sounds a heroic phrase, it practically oozes adventure and pioneer spirit.

But after the vessels and people who have discovered this barren rock leave, the colonists and the miners come.

It's a frontier, no more and no less. A new world, with new rules.

In most cases this means the person who is stronger or has less scruples gets rich, and those who held onto the hope of creating a new "civilisation" or a "society" usually end up either dead or penniless, toiling away in the mines, for those who were successful.

And if you wanted to change that, you had to replace the one in charge.

You called Amos.

Amos appeared here and there. They say he was from earth, an escaped prisoner. It was rumoured that he was an android, but other rumours stated he was a Ninja, a member of an ancient Japanese cult.

But whatever one chose to believe who or what Amos was, he was certainly not cheap. He was very through, though. Almost uncontested in the area of Killers for hire in this area of space, he could and would kill anything for money, and he did.

Governors, Company men, military personnel, rich and poor, Amos did not make any difference. Before him, they all were equal.

Equally dead.

Frontier work is dirty work.

Brigitte knew that too. Not yet 22, she had already lost everything she could lose to the mines. Her parents, her brother, all three had died in a cave-in on this rock called LX-239.

She, too, called Amos.

Her mind, clouded by anger and revenge did not see any reason.

And Amos, after accepting a substantial sum, almost everything Brigitte had saved, brutally slaughtered the mine's owner.

* * *

On the 25th of June, Amos was found dead, floating in his ship, orbiting LX-239 by the crew of a freighter, the "Andrea Doria"

The vessel was duly towed back to LX-239's spaceport, and Amos' body examined thoroughly.

His ribcage had been mauled and ripped open, almost like a ritualistic killing. Parts of his internal organs had been removed, but weren't found on the ship.

It was perceived that someone had found Amos' ship, and had taken revenge for a blood feud.

The case was closed.

On the 4th of September, the "Andrea Doria" was found, hanging in dead space, a distress beacon switched on.

The salvage crew entering the ship found the crew slaughtered in their cryotubes, mauled, ripped, disfigured horribly.

The freighter, belonging to Weyland-Yutani, was duly towed back to the largest Weyland-Yutani outpost in that sector, Sigma-44.

The AI had not recorded anything on the assault. Seemingly someone had deleted it.

It was perceived that space pirates had assaulted the freighter in dead space, killing the occupants as they discovered nothing valuable within it.

The bodies were buried, the ship repaired, renamed and the case was closed.

On the 12th of November, a small yautjan vessel picked up the distress beacon of an earthen spacecraft.

Given the fact that a treaty stood between Yautja and humans, the vessel's captain changed course, duly to come to the aid of the medium-sized salvage ship, which was resting in space close to an unknown system.

The yautja made investigations, but found all crew dead, killed horribly.

Space pirates, this time of yautjan origin were blamed again, those who were honourless, and robbed and killed unarmed men in their sleep, and they resumed their journey.

The deviation from their course and other delays during their voyage forced them to refuel at the closest settlement.

The captain plotted a course to LX-239.

* * *

In the belly of the vessel, Aki'ru, referred to by his comrades only as Aki, wondered through the holding compartments.

They brought back living prize this time.

These creatures were called "Xenomorphs" by the humans, and the Yautja chose to use that name as well. For them, they were only prey, prey one must hunt to receive the highest honours.

Aki had already killed one, his mask was decorated with the spoils of his hunt, yet he had set it down whilst he was walking along the holding compartments, looking at the creatures.

One was a praetorian, large, and with a small chitinous crown. Three others were warriors, their ridged skulls glinting in the light.

One was a drone.

The other four were relentlessly trying to break out of their cages, slamming their bodies against it. But the glass would not break. It would never break.

Aki had sat down in front of the cages, removing dirt from under his claws with his blade.

The drone was sitting on its haunches, resting against the glass wall. The elongated head followed every movement he made.

It was different to the others. Like it was waiting for something. Its lips were closed, and a small bead of saliva was dripping down. Aki didn't know if these things had eyes, but if they had, the drone was looking at him.

The Yautja stared back.

These journeys home were always so long and boring, but now he had found something interesting. Something to occupy himself with.

The drone wrapped its tail around itself, and, raising the tip, it scratched its back with it.

Daydreaming, the Yautja fiddled with his dreadlocks.

The drone raised an arm, and imitated his movement, fiddling with non-existent dreadlocks.

That surprised Aki, and he stopped moving, and became still.

So did the drone.

He leaned his head to the right side.

The drone imitated his movement.

It couldn't… What was it doing? And why was it imitating him?

"What are you doing?" he clicked at the creature, unsure with himself why he was talking to an animal. Yet they also talked to their dogs. If he could turn this into a dog….

The xenomorph's head dropped to one side again.

Of course it didn't understand. It was an animal. The dogs didn't understand anything either.

The drone's mouth opened, and it made a gurgling noise.

It dripped a bit of saliva and then, it opened its inner maw, and made a soft noise. It clicked.

Softly, the alien creature clicked back at the Yautja.

This was impossible.

It was their language.

And right in that moment, the lights went out.

The throb of the ship's engine stopped.

With a uniform clang, the doors of the holding pens opened.

Aki heard the hisses of the xenomorphs, and he knew that this was the hour. He would die, but he would die honourably, as a hunter. A true hunter.

He couldn't put on his mask, he was blind in the darkness, but still, he lowered his stance, ready to fight.

But it didn't come to that. It never came to a fight.

He felt strong, hard arms around his back, and something slammed into him like a sledgehammer. Crashing against the wall and sliding to the ground, he pushed against his attacker, trying to get it off of him. He knew that soon, the alien's inner maw would impale his head, and he would be dead.

He sliced the air with his blades, trying to get some purchase, but in vain.

Suddenly, he heard something click into his ear. It was barely audible, and with a horrible accent, but it was understandable.

"Stop. Help."

Something grabbed his hand, and he felt his wrist blade punch into flesh.

Acid burned his skin, and the creature lying on top of him screeched loudly, he roared in pain, but suddenly felt something enter his mouth, blocking his throat and smothering his scream.

The creature on top of him went limp.

He couldn't bite down on the alien maw, as the blood would kill him.

But maybe this was a way.

He too, started to play dead.


	2. Chapter 2

Play dead

Be dead

There was no difference, honour-wise. It was disgraceful. There was no honour in it.

Aki didn't move, and the xenomorph, the serpent on top of him wasn't moving either, but he could feel its shallow breath.

It was for a long time they lay there. Aki could barely breathe past the alien's maw stuck in his throat.

Finally, the creature rolled off of him.

Pain pulsed through his hand, and in the dim glow of the emergency lighting, he stared at it.

Or what was left of it, more precise. The creature's acidic blood had eaten away two fingers. The Alien was breathing shallow, and there were dried smears of yellowish blood on its side.

"Why did you do this?" he clicked questionably, rubbing his neck with his good hand.

The creature leaned its head, and opened his maw slightly. It started to click.

"You different. Me different." it hissed softly.

Aki groped around for his mask. It had been dropped in the fighting, and had skidded under a bench.

He attached it to his face, and looked around him.

There was a large burn hole in the ground, and each and every xenomorph pen was open, but no signs of anything else.

He whispered into the comm system "Captain?"

No reply

"Where are you? Anyone alive?"

The xenomorph pulled Aki's arm and clicked at him again "No."

Fuck.

He had to tend to his wound first. It was a burn wound, and he would bandage it. Then he would manage to kill the creature stalking this ship, and return home victorious.

He pulled out the first aid kit from his wrist storage, and worked on closing the wound.

The xenomorph had propped itself up on the side and was watching him. It brushed its head and clicked again it its funny accent.

"Go. We. Hide."

He wasn't going to go. He was a hunter. He had to fight this thing. He shook his head.

"I will kill it" he said defiantly.

"Can't." The xeno shook its long head. It pointed to the wound on his side. "Me hurt. Not move. Too powerful. Can't."

Aki didn't know what came over him as he crouched down, scanning the wound in the prey's side. He should kill it, right here right now.

No.

That would be dishonourable. It had wounded itself to save him from being torn to pieces by the serpents.

It had not acted like a yautja should. His kin fought to the last man, and Aki would have gladly showed the praetorians his steel.

Yet the creature had saved them both.

It had said they were different, and it was true. He did not love the company of his comrades. He preferred to work alone, in silence.

"I can help you" he simply said.

The creature nodded, and he pulled out a small instrument.

"I can close the wound and cauterize it, but it will hurt."

It tilted its head

"Pain. But it helps"

The alien nodded again, and Aki set to work.

Valiantly, the xenomorph did not betray its pain, even though it must hurt it quite a lot. It bared its teeth and hissed softly, as Aki was finished

"Come. Place to hide. Need."

It had gotten up on its feet, and was slowly padding along the corridor, with unsure, staggering steps. The yautja's cloaking device had been damaged as the mask had been kicked but the optical sensors worked agreeably well.

The xenomorph rested itself against the wall, ever so often. It was shaky and damaged.

They needed a hiding place.

"We go to my cabin. It's not that far."

A

Creeping silently into the cabin, Aki started to close the door and without making a sound, bolted it.

The serpent had collapsed on the bed and its breathing had slowed. It had shown remarkable courage, courage to a point of insanity. It had stabbed itself with his blades, so the others would leave them two alone, thinking they were dead.

But the xenomorphs were still on the ship. There was also something else on this vessel. Something else that had shut down the power. But what for? They did not carry any valuable cargo. Nothing but those xenomorphs. It had to be on board for the whole time since the start of their journey. It was on this ship, and apparently it had killed everything.

What for?

Aki couldn't make any sense of it, but he knew he had to kill it.

"Do you know what attacked us?" he clicked towards the creature.

Limply, it turned its head over to him, and stayed motionless.

"Blood Moon" it said.

"What is that?"

"Not know. Hate. Not good. You die." It shook its head. "Stay. You here. Stay."

Why was this monster interested in him like that? Aki stared down at it, the long, curved head resting on the bed, drool dripping from the fangs. The spindly body, the long tail it had curled around itself protectively, the dorsal tubes, one shorter than the others, and the all too evident wound in its side.

Even though he knew what these things could do, he'd seen them kill other hunters in a split second, without remorse, without mercy, without fear, he couldn't help but pity the thing lying on the bed. It seemed so helpless. So fragile.

So hurt.

Sighing, Aki'ru sat down on the bed, unclipping his mask, and putting it on the stand where it usually rested.

"Do you have a name?" he clicked.

The creature lifted its head upwards by a bit, and clicked at him. "Eran."  
"I'm Aki'ru."

It was so strange to Aki. He was talking, having a conversation with a creature that was known to kill on sight. He couldn't understand why it spoke his language. Why it had such a profound understanding of everything.

"How come you can speak my language?"

"I learn. Different to others. I learn. Different." It shivered.

"I know this sounds stupid but are you male or female?"

Eran took a few seconds to answer. "I be like you." For some reason he, the creature was a he, had avoided his question. For some reason it caused it discomfort.

But it was his only ally in this hostile environment this ship, his home, had become.

He got up, and started to rig up his body armour. He would not be unprepared again.

The creature watched him intently, as he put on his armour, and put his weaponry close to hand.

"Whatever this Blood Moon is, I will hunt it. I must." He clicked at the xenomorph.

"Not hunt yet." It replied. "Too weak. No strength. Alone. You die."

"I must face it in battle. I am bound by the code of honour."

"No hunt. No "honour" in dying. Stay alive."

For all the savageness, this creature had understood the yautjan code of honour quite well. How could it be? These creatures were the sole survivors of a hive they had hunted weeks ago, in human territory. It happened from time to time that the humans asked the yautja to cleanse a hive. The queen had been killed during the fighting, but these creatures here should've been taken back.

How could Eran have learned their language and their ways so fast?

And then he realised. He had listened. The xenomorphs were fast learners, and Eran was even faster. He had mastered their language fast, and had listened to them talking.

"You understand that I must avenge my kin."

"No hunt yet. Hunt when ready."

"What do you understand? It didn't kill your comrades. It freed them. It freed you!"

"Blood Moon is death. We know. You not yet. Memories. Old memories I have. Blood Moon is death. Mine and yours."

"Well then I will be its death, as it will be mine."

"You not understand."

Aki grew impatient with the creature. It talked in riddles. "Tell me what you mean, and speak clearly."

"Old memories. Memories of days passed. The hive shares them."

"And what do these "old hive memories" say?"

"No, not hive. Mine. Old memories I have."

"Where are they from? What do they mean?"

"Don't know yet. Not understand enough." Eran slapped his own head. "Complicated!"

Aki sighed "What do you know?"

"Blood Moon is death. Blood Moon is death to us."  
"Us? What do you mean?"

"We different. You and me. Different to others. Blood Moon hunt different things. It hates us."  
"How am I different to my comrades?"

"You smell different. Think different. Are different."

"Anything else?"

"A name."

"A name of what?"

"Kin."

"Well?"

"Akkan. Akkan. Over and over again."

"That's not much use."

"Me never much use. Queen says so to."

"I didn't mean that…" the Yautja trailed off. As he picked up again, he stared at the ground. This never fell easy to him. "You were very brave. Thank you for saving my life."

"You and me are different. I say so before."

"What is different? What makes you say that? Give me some proof!"

"You look at the big one."

Ouch. The creature had actually watched him quite intently. Ka'nak, one of his comrades, was an asshole, but a good looking one. Aki didn't usually permit himself to have such thoughts. They were disgraceful.

But sometimes his gaze did slip, and apparently Eran had observed him quite well. He decided to stay silent.

"No matter now. Matter now we survive. We must become strong. Then we kill Blood Moon."

"We?"

"You and me. We kill Blood Moon."

"I don't need your help."

"No. I need yours."

That made Aki'ru stop, and fall silent to think. Maybe Eran was right. He was different, he knew that. He knew he could never change this disgraceful fact about himself.

But what did the creature mean they were similar? And why did it ask him for help? And why for god's sake was it so smart?

It would've made a good Yautja thought. And it did have a few good ideas. It knew how to survive.

"Eran?"

"Aki'ru?"

"Why do you want to kill that Blood Moon thing?"

"It kills us. It wants to destroy."

"But don't you want that too? Your species only kills."

"I never kill."

"What do you mean?"

"Me don't like to kill."

"You're a killer by nature. You have no choice."

The xenomorph on the bed growled, and hissed. "There is always a choice."

Eran turned around and fell silent again.

Aki was confused. This thing was a killer, nothing else. Nothing else was within its mind. And yet, he had said he'd never killed.

There was a story behind this, and Aki was dying to know it.

Eran was had his back turned to the Yautja and Aki studied it, lost in thought.

One of the dorsal tubes was shorter than the others, and he bent down slightly to get a better look. It wasn't all too evident in the darkness, but Aki'ru was a seasoned hunter, and quickly spotted the bite marks. The tube had been bitten off.

Small slashes and scars covered the alien's back.

Eran had a past he didn't know anything about. And he was the only Ally he had left on this ship.

If the Blood Moon thing had killed his comrades, his chances to hunt it successfully were very very very slim. Cleansing out a xenomorph hive was a walk in the park compared to this.

"Eran, I'm with you. We kill Blood Moon together."

The xenomorph turned around: "Good." It hissed.

Reluctantly, Aki reached into a storage compartment. His hand emerged with a spear. He offered it to the Alien.

"No." Eran clicked.

"We must swear an oath. An oath that binds us by honour to finish our task or die trying."

Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed the xeno's talon in his damaged one, and drew his knife. He felt Eran flinch, and with the tip of the knife he carefully nicked the Xenomorphs skin, being careful not to open it up too much due to the nature of his blood. He did the same to him, and pressed their hands together.

The alien blood burned his palm, but he barely noticed the pain.

"We will kill the Blood Moon."

Eran nodded. "Yes."

Aki let go, and offered the Alien the spear again.

"Take it. It was a gift, a gift of honour, given to me when I was young. I want you to have it now."

This time, Eran did not decline.


	3. Chapter 3

Aki'ru was running out of ideas.

Blood Moon's assault must have been immediate and relentless, else his comrades would have surely stopped it. It possessed an understanding of the yautjan ship, and presumably a cloaking device, how else could it have gone unnoticed in the ship.

It had freed the xenomorphs for what reason?

Aki'ru ruled space pirates out. Even if they were of his species, it was clearly impossible. Eran wasn't of much help either. The xenomorph was resting, an uneasy rest. He himself did not feel tired. This was an impossible situation, and that was enticing him. A test of his abilities. He was alone, against an enemy he could not grasp. He always worked alone.

_You're not alone this time… _he thought.

They had to get off this ship. They had to get somewhere where they could re-group. He would not have purchase on his elusive opponent if he attacked on its home ground.

_Lure it out into the open, and then tear it apart. _That was what the elder had said, when dealing with elusive prey.

But the elder was dead, leaving him behind, alone, his training not fully finished. It forced Aki'ru to acquire the rest of the skills necessary for a hunter by himself. Alone. Again.

There were escape pods, but Aki wasn't sure that they were a better choice. After all, they were in the middle of space, and he doubted they would last longer in an escape pod.

And then he remembered.

They weren't in the middle of space. By now, they should have reached LX-239. The ship could even already be in orbit.

Maybe jettisoning by escape pod didn't seem such a bad idea after all. They would go, recover, re-arm, and then return to the ship to hunt this Blood Moon thing. It was a tactical retreat.

He shook the xenomorph, and it turned around, flinching at his touch. "We make for the escape pod."

Grabbing his mask, he put it on.

The alien was getting up. Even though not hours before, two blades at least ten inches long had been stuck in its side, it raised itself less shaky than before. The yautja was at least 7'2, but the xenomorph towered over him when fully raised.

It was a strange alliance, and these days were strange days.

But life was life and honour was honour. And it was a truly courageous deed to almost kill oneself to save a life, one that did not even ask to be saved. Aki'ru somehow considered the creature an equal.

The door slid open, and the two made their way outwards. Both were hunters, both knew the necessity of staying silent.

Aki led the way, crouched low, and Eran followed him.

The dim, red light of the emergency power supply was already fading and flickering. It was not going to last long. The life support must already be failing.

His mask permitted him to see in the dark, and he suspected the xenomorph did not have such problems.

The ship was silent, so absolutely silent, it chilled the yautja. And yet, he relished the feeling of his blood rushing through his body, the danger of the situation tingling his nerves.

He was enjoying himself, unlike the xenomorph behind him. It was almost on all fours, crouching low.

Eran was scared. His movement were like those of a hunted animal, of something that had never experienced the feeling of power.

That confused Aki'ru. He'd never seen a xenomorph act like that. He wasn't sure if Eran was any use when it came to fighting.

* * *

They had reached the escape pod, and Aki'ru was busy manually preparing it for launch. All the automated systems had failed during the power cut, and this was painfully loud.

He had told Eran to stand guard but was quite sure that he'd hear any danger much faster that the xenomorph would

The capsule's door opened, and Aki'ru stared into the confined space. Just a few last adjustments, and the capsule would launch them onto the planet.

Then he would prepare, and ultimately, return to the ship and face Blood Moon in battle.

He heard the hiss before the xenomorph did, as he'd expected.

Spinning around, he quickly spotted the praetorian slinking along the tunnel. The targeting system of his plasma caster automatically locked onto it, but he didn't fire. If he missed, it would blast a hole in the ship's hull, sucking them into space.

He'd never fought a praetorian before, not in hand to hand combat.

Eran had obviously fled. He was nowhere to be seen. What a fool he was to think that beast could have some idea of honour.

Growling, he faced the Praetorian.

The creature, now its cover was blown, strode towards him.

It was huge, larger than Eran, a small crown on its dome, towering at least four feet over the yautja. It hissed aggressively, and lowered itself.

Aki prepared his wrist blade.

The creature struck, using its legs to launch itself at him. He ducked, but the praetorian never reached him.

With a savage hiss, something exploded out of the ceiling. Aki saw a flash of steel, a domed head, and an ear-splitting crack.

The praetorian shrieked, and yellowish, corrosive blood spurted from the place where once its jaw had been.

It squealed and recoiled, back into the tunnel. It was wounded, but not yet dead.

Eran turned his head sideways and clicked to Aki "Go."

Then he gripped his spear, and advanced on the Praetorian.

Spear or no spear, jaw or no jaw, he didn't stand half a chance against the bigger alien. The yautja stepped up beside Eran. They'd fight together.

"I'm right beside you" he clicked.

The praetorian whipped his tail on the ground, and kept on retreating.

Suddenly the emergency light went out.

A voice chimed in the yautja's head. A voice devoid of feelings, of emotions. A voice tearing at the edges of sanity yet calm like the eye of a storm.

_I have seen you._

_Aki'ru the faithless. _

_I know your name. It was whispered to me by the dark, lodging itself in my reality._

The praetorian in front of him suddenly turned tail and fled.

"Who are you?"

_You will see. In time. For I will hunt you, like you have hunted so many others. Your kin were enough to whet my appetite. But you are the only true prey. For the end is so close. I can feel it. But our hour is not yet upon us. Farewell, Legionless. _

Something brushed his shoulder, a wisp of wind, disappearing along the tunnel, and the lights came back on.

"Aki, we leave." Eran pulled Aki into the capsule, a definite, decisive grip, so unlike the creature he had seen before. The alien's demeanour had changed completely.

"We can't."

The xenomorph brought his face close to the yautja's mask. "You've heard it. I've seen it."

His voice held a searing agony. "We have to go. Aki."

"I can't. Honour binds me to kill it."

"You can't. No-one can. Either we go or we die."

Reluctantly, Aki'ru closed the hatch. The xenomorph's grip was iron, clenching itself to his arm. It was scared, Eran, the xenomorph was almost scared witless of this thing. Aki knew that it was pointless, attempting a hunt right now. He would fail, and that would be dishonourable.

The capsule blasted off.

* * *

It was dark.

Night had fallen.

The capsule had dropped down on the planet's surface, bounced twice, and came to rest the wrong way up. Aki'ru and Eran almost had to dig their way out. But now they had left the steel cylinder, and were on the planet's surface. It was warm, even at night. Aki'ru enjoyed it. He thrived in warm climates, and even the Alien seemed happier than in the cramped ship.

Most of the land was flat, grassy prairie, but in the background, large mountains loomed up. The yautja adjusted his sight, using the magnifying function within his mask.

He scanned the horizon. There had to be a settlement somewhere here, at least some kind of signals, else the pod wouldn't have landed here.

But then again, nothing was fail-safe, and the might have ended up somewhere with nobody around for a long, long distance.

Growling, he looked again and again.

And then he saw it.

A small light at the base of the mountain. It practically yelled human at him, now that he'd seen it.

Switching of the magnifying setting, he looked around.

Eran hadn't left. The xenomorph had descended the small hill, and was looking back up at him.

"There's something not far from here. Human, I'd say."

Aki walked down to Eran "We go there. We arm ourselves. Then we go back to the ship and kill Blood Moon."

Eran sort-of nodded. "Need food." He clicked.

"Well then let's go. By dawn we will reach the mountainside."

The yautja fell into a jog, and the xenomorph pulled up beside him. They loped across the rather soft, sandy ground, at an even pace. Aki'ru watched the alien from time to time. It was holding up remarkably well, yet it had developed a limp, a small one, but it was there.

Aki didn't permit himself to feel tired, yet he envied Eran to have taken a rest back on the ship. He should've done so himself. No matter.

They crossed a road, but decided to stay off of it. Hardly any humans would be up at this hour, they usually only came out by day, but neither he nor Eran would be taking any chances. Aki'ru preferred a stealthy approach, and taking the Xeno near any humans was asking for a fight. Not that he'd mind, fighting a human was always a challenge, but humans were not their prey anymore. There was a treaty, he remembered.

Besides, he wanted to hunt Blood Moon and not humans.

Eran was carrying the spear, clutching it to his chest. Dried xeno blood was on one side, he must've attacked the Praetorian with it.

There was anger within this creature. Anger he didn't understand, but he had the feeling that Eran had enjoyed watching his kin, probably his brother even, bleed.

It held admiration for him, Aki'ru was sure of it. It kept glancing at him from time to time.

This confused the yautja. He was used to being admired by some foolish unblooded, but this xenomorph's behaviour confused him.

It shouldn't admire him, it should kill him. And he'd fight it, and the better would win, and take the other's head as a trophy. But not this. Not a prey trying to be friends with him. He didn't have any friends. He didn't need any friends.

He didn't want any friends.

Not after what had happened to Ka'en.

He couldn't allow his memory to stray back there. It was unhealthy for him. And it was over. He should forget it. Think of the future. The elder had told him so.

But the elder was dead too.

Legionless, the voice had called him. Faithless. He was an outsider, even on that ship. Amongst his own species.

Different, Eran had called him. Different. He was a survivor. And maybe, he had finally, found an equal, for Eran was different too. No xenomorph possessed honour, not one, and yet this one had a profound understanding of yautjan culture. It had assimilated itself so fast that he now had the foolish idea that it might be equal.

Honour was everything, the elder had told him. He had died for his honour.

If Eran could act honourable, he could be an equal. And he had.

They would fight together. He slowed down, and so did the xenomorph.

"I want you to stay back. Stay hidden. Let me do the talking."

"Human?"

"Yes, humans are there. They will kill you if they see you."

"They never will see me." Eran bowed his head. "Thank you for the gift, Aki'ru."

The Yautja nodded. "Let us go on."

"Wait."

"What is it?"

"I will watch you. If anything happens, we will fight together."

"Of course…. Hunter." Aki'ru bowed his head, to honour his newfound hunting partner.


	4. Chapter 4

Aki'ru was lying low, covered up by a clump of dried shrubbery.

This was a frontier town, and it was guarded, obviously. Aki had told Eran to go somewhere out of sight, and the Alien had complied, hiding itself within an earth hole, burrowing down in the mud, out of sight.

But now it was down to him to enter this town, and for some reason Aki was having doubts. So far, he'd only seen guards patrolling the perimeter, but it was still only dawn.

The sun had risen a few minutes ago, but already the rays were scorching the earth. It was hot here, very hot

He could wait. Wait till he'd make out some kind of official, and then question him how to get to the Spaceport of this world.

Because this was no spaceport. There were no large fuel tanks, nothing but a large hover train to transport goods to and fro from the town.

Maybe they could hitch a ride…

Suddenly, there was movement.

Five people left a larger house, two were burly men, dressed in miner's overalls, and armed with rifles. They carelessly shoved a young woman and a child down the steps on the hard-packed dirt in front of the house. The fifth man stayed in the shadow of the doorway, and Aki'ru couldn't make out his face.

"Where is your husband?" he demanded, with a soft, soothing voice. Something was wrong here.

"I ... I don't know, governor. I haven't seen him since the incident."

One of the men savagely kicked the woman's side. "Lying bitch! Tell the governor the truth!"

"I have!" she wailed.

"Well, see how well you remember, when I do this:"

To Aki'ru's horror, he saw the man pull a gun, a gun on an unarmed woman, and child.

"No, Senor! Por favor!"

The gun went off.

The woman let out a long-drawn wail, jumping to her feet and sprinting over the ground. Blood seeped from the child's body on the ground.

"GET AFTER HER! I WANT HER ALIVE!" the governor roared to his men.

She stood no chance against these bad-blooded humans. Aki had to act, act in a way that wouldn't increase his popularity within this town.

Roaring violently, he jumped out of his hiding place, charging towards the two men following the fleeing girl.

He head-butted the first one, sending him flying through the air. No matter how strong the human was, he was stronger.

The second one fired his rifle, but the bullet glanced harmlessly off Aki's mask. The aiming system of the plasma caster locked on, and in seconds, the man was a smouldering heap on the floor.

Roaring, the yautja turned towards the governor.

To his own surprise, the governor had stepped out of the door, standing on the blood-saturated ground in front of his house and was clapping his hands.

"Very good. Very, very good!"

Roaring, the yautja aimed his plasma caster.

"You can stop playing the big bad hunter right now... Or I'd be forced to hurt you, and we don't want that, do we?"

The houses flanking the road to the governor's home, suddenly came alive with men, armed with rifles and other makeshift weaponry.

Ah, shit. He should've known.

They had seen the escape capsule fall, and probably it had even sent out a distress beacon. What a fool he had been.

At least they didn't know Eran was here, and that was good.

Maybe if he'd complied at first, he'd get into a better position to kill the governor and escape unscathed.

This wasn't a hunt. He wasn't hunting humans. They weren't prey, and they had different laws, laws he should abide to when he was around them.

But they wouldn't stand in his way, not once.

He deactivated his plasma caster, sheathed his wrist blades, and advanced towards the governor.

"Good. Good. Pray tell, do you speak English?"

"Yeah", the yautja retorted.

"Good good! Good good!" the governor clapped his hands. "Let us head towards our small bar, to have a drink and a chat!"

Growling, Aki complied.

* * *

The governor and the yautja sat on old-fashioned chairs around a table that could well be older than the governor himself. He was a man of 35, maybe older, wearing dirty clothes. His eyes glowed with an inner fire, a fire that worried Aki. This man was capable of anything. And he was careful.  
The saloon was filled with men in dirty miner's overalls, armed with rifles and pistols.

"Pray, do you have a name?"

Aki stayed silent.

"Well, are you going to talk or not?"

"What does my name matter?"

"Technically, nothing. But we don't get many visitors, so I'd love to hear your name."

"Aki'ru".

"Good, I'm Jeff, but around here, everyone just calls me the Governor. Pray, what led you to these parts?"

"I need to go to the spaceport."

The governor sighed, and folded his hands. "I asked a question. I'd prefer to hear that question answered."

Aki'ru growled "It doesn't matter where I came from, how I came here. I need to get to the spaceport. A lift would be good, though I'd pay for it, of course."

The governor jumped up. "Listen, Aki'ru. It doesn't matter what you want. You killed one of my men, and I want to know why. I think everyone does."

"It is dishonourable and a crime to attack unarmed women and children." The yautja said simply.

"Seems like you haven't understood one thing. There is no law here." He brushed his jacket "I am the law here."

Aki growled again

"You killed one of my best men, and now you must repent for your sins, doesn't he, boys!" he raised his voice, and the men in the room cheered in agreement.

"So" his voice re-took its soothing tone "what can you do for us, Aki'ru? How can you undo your wrongs? I think I have an idea."

He waved one of his men close. "I've had a problem with some escaped prisoners. They've murdered the sheriff, and are now hiding somewhere. Hunt them down, to the last man, woman and child."

"I don't hunt humans, and I don't hunt children."

"Then you will hang for your deeds, Aki'ru." He bent over close to him, and the yautja growled. "Hang by the neck, until death that is the verdict. But you have the choice. If you do what I said, I'll let you go."

The governor's men had pulled a tight circle around the table, their guns at the ready. Aki'ru was thinking. If he'd killed the governor now, the men would open fire, besides the governor was unarmed, and that would hardly be honourable. He doubted he'd care for the lives of his men.

This was a horrible situation. His plasma caster wasn't ready, and there were at least twelve men in the room, all of them armed. He roared at the governor, but the human didn't flinch.

"What do you say, Aki'ru?"

Aki didn't say anything. Nobody said anything.

And through the silence, a feral hiss broke. Something dark fell from the ceiling, impaling one of the men with a long, metal object. Blood spurted out of the man's chest, and he was tossed through the room.

Hissing, Eran lifted one of the men upwards, ramming his inner maw through his head.

Aki came into live, slamming into one of the men, and punching his wrist blades through the man's belly.

He saw the governor jump up, and race towards the door, and he wanted to pursue it, but one of the governor's men slammed into him, catching him unaware and bringing him to the ground.

Eran's tail swished through the air, slamming into the man, catapulting him off Aki and into one of the tables.

The xeno wasn't fighting, not this one. Eran's black, spindly form was dancing through the room, a fast, elegant menace, a whirlwind of jaws, talons and steel. Growling in happiness, Aki drew his knife, and, roaring, threw himself into battle.

Soon he and Eran were standing back to back, in a room full of bodies.  
"Looks like I wasn't even late." The xeno clicked.

"I could've handled this easy by myself" Aki'ru joked.

One of the men, with a scraggy beard was still crawling towards his gun.

Eran jumped, flipping him on his back, and hissed in his face, gashing his jaws, xeno spit and blood covering the man's face.

"Don't kill me, please! I'll do anything."

"Eran, leave him. I have to ask him something."

Reluctantly, the Xeno stepped back from the wounded man. Like an expert, he retracted the spear's blade, whirling it in the air. He had reflexes far above anything Aki had ever seen.

In English, the yautja growled at the man: "What's going on here?"

"What... what do you mean?"

"What is the governor doing here, why is he killing innocent women?"

"There's... been a ... disagreement between Horace Woodburn and the governor."

"Who's Woodburn?"

"Woodburn... was the local mine owner… But he's dead. He was killed."

"Who was that girl?"

"Her name is Brigitte… I don't know anymore… please don't kill me. Please…"

Aki turned to Eran, who hissed at him. There was blood on his teeth and blood on his domed head. The xeno had come just in time, and now they had a little snippet of information.

"Aki you sure what you are doing?"

Growling, Aki put one of his large hands on the xeno's dome, rubbing it. Playfully the creature butted his head against Aki's hand.

"I don't know. I suppose this has gotten out of hand right now."

"We have to leave this town."

"Eran, we need at least some sort of cooperation from these humans here. We need a ship to get at blood moon."

The xeno growled unhappily. Somehow he had changed. It was like something had broken free within him. Something he'd supressed for a long time.

The animal within him.

"Any ideas within your xeno mind?"

"I'm hungry."

"Are you vegetarian?" Aki gave Eran a clap on the back.

"Yeah. I only eat dead wood." This time Eran clapped Aki'ru on the back. He grabbed one of the bodies, and started devouring it.

Aki wasn't yet hungry, certainly not for human meat. It usually was too dry for his taste. The xeno didn't mind, though.

There was blood on the floor, Blood on the walls, blood on his hands. It had been a good fight.

"I have an idea."

Eran looked towards him, a bloody bone hanging out of his maw. He nodded, the bone flapping around.

"If we find Brigitta, she can tell us more."

Noisily the xeno crunched the bone down, swallowing it. "She can tell you more. She'd probably shoot me."

"You get what I mean."

The xeno nodded, and kept on eating.

"I'd say we leave now, before the governor returns."

Hissing, Eran dropped the corpse. "Follow me" he clicked.  
And to Aki'ru's amazement, Eran, who had never walked without ducking down low, strode off behind the bar as if he owned the place. Where had the timid, scared creature gone? Aki followed him, up a set of stairs and out on a balcony.

There was a thin power chord running from the top of the bar to the ground.

"You ain't serious, right?" Aki'ru stared at the thing in disbelief.

"It's fine. I climbed up along it just okay."

As if to prove himself, he jumped on the thin wire, and started to climb down.

"Here we go then."

Aki jumped onto the wire, clinging onto it with both his hands and his feet.

The cable gave way beneath him.

He felt himself falling through the air, and impacting on something hard.

His ribcage hurt, and he took a second to adjust himself to his surroundings. He had fallen maybe three metres down, and apparently landed directly on top of Eran.

"Aki?"

"Yes?"

"You are lying on top of me."

The xeno was so close to him, he could smell its breath, smelling of human blood and something else, something that didn't half smell bad.

"Eran?"

"Yeah?"

"You smell nice."


	5. Chapter 5

Aki'ru didn't light a fire. He had hunted one of the beasts that populated this planet, and was now expertly cutting it up, removing the entrails.

The xenomorph was staring at the thing lying in the sand, a river of drool running from his chin.

Aki looked up at him and frowned. He had taken off his mask to eat. "Go hunt for yourself."

"You can't eat that much anyway."

"Sure, but it's my kill and mine to keep."

"You could share it though."

Aki's mandibles twitched.

"I'll eat the stuff you don't want. It's not that I care."

"You'd eat bones?"

"Yeah"

"Why?"

"Well, for starters, I don't have a sense of taste, at least not like you do. For me it's either belly full or belly empty."

"You ate, not ten hours ago. You can't be hungry again. You'll go fat."

"I can't go fat. I can eat all day without going fat. In fact," Eran grabbed one of the entrails, "I tried it before, and I'm not fat. Do you think I'm fat?"

He sucked up the entrails in his inner maw, wiped drool from his chin, and stood up. "Am I fat?"

Aki'ru stared at the xenomorph. No, he wasn't fat. He was thin. He had no real say in that matter, as his exoskeleton made him look stick-like, but still, he was strong, Aki had seen it.

"No you're not fat. Now keep the entrails and I'll have the rest." He said, in a gruff voice.

Making a delighted bubbling noise, the xenomorph started devouring the bloody meat.

* * *

The creature had been reduced to a mere skeleton, and Eran was still crunching on one bone.

Aki'ru had rested his back against a stone, sitting down on the soft sand. He was feeling full, to the brim.

So was Eran.

The xenomorph had flopped down on the sand, and was staring at the dark, star-littered skies.

"Somewhere, up there's your ship, and Blood Moon."

"And were aren't getting anywhere. No sign of that girl, but what bare rock can tell."

Eran flipped around, on his back, stretching his arms and legs. "Aki'ru?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you tired?"

He was. "Yeah."

"Go to sleep."

"Nah. We will continue tracking the girl. We should travel faster by night than by day. We won't have to avoid the governor's henchmen."

"We should be far away enough right now. They won't chase us this far."

"Eran, do you want to sleep? That's a different matter, if you want to rest."

"No. I want you to rest. You need to keep your strength."

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine." Aki'ru got up, groping for the mask he had left on the rock.

Eran hissed, and tackled him to the ground, wrapping his tail around the yautja's legs and holding his arms down. "You're going to have your rest, and I'm going to stay here and make sure you don't run off."

Aki'ru wriggled, but the xeno's grip was like iron. There was a large, toothy smile on the creature's face. Drool was dripping down onto Aki'ru's chest.

"Eran, what are you doing? Get off of me!"

The xeno bent down low, clicking softly into Aki's ear "Not tonight."

This was a game, Aki realized. Eran wasn't really attacking him, the xeno was probably just bored, and needed a reason to play-wrestle with him.

It didn't look like Eran wanted to wrestle, though. He had tightened his tail around the Yautja's legs, and was holding his arms down to the ground.

Eran's wide grin didn't fade. He hissed into Aki's face.

"All right. I'll go to sleep."

"Good."

As expected, Eran let go.

Aki tackled him down, playfully pressing his face down into the sand.

The xenomorph jolted, and suddenly started thrashing about, dislodging Aki from him.

Screeching, Eran jumped up, and, grabbing his spear, hissed at the yautja, raising his tail, and extending the spear.

Aki roared at him, and Eran practically collapsed within himself. The spear dropped from his grasp, and he cowered on the ground. "I... I don't know.."

Something else kindled within Aki'ru. All his life, he had been taught that weakness wasn't permitted, that weakness was dishonourable.

And yet, whilst looking at Eran, he was worried.

"Look. I didn't mean to hurt you." He bent down, stroking the xenomorph's arm carefully. He felt awkward and stupid doing that.

He remembered something the elder had told him, how weakness could be strength, and how one should trust ones friends, and aid them, to work together.

"I'm sorry."

Suddenly, Eran wrapped his arms around Aki'ru and hugged him deeply and tightly.

"Don't hurt me, Aki'ru..."

"I'm not going to hurt you."

Eran whined, and repeated his statement. "Don't ever hurt me."

"All right, I won't. I didn't want to hurt you anyway. It was all play."

He stroked the xenomorph's back softly with his claws. The creature was shivering, behaving so un-xenomorphish, that Aki couldn't believe it.

His hand brushed the short dorsal tube, making Eran shiver.

"Where are those scars from, Eran?"

"I don't... know... It's all a blur... It was in the hive… It hurts…"

Aki hugged Eran, lifting the xenomorph up, and carefully setting him down on the ground. The creature shivered violently. "Listen up, you don't have to tell me. It doesn't matter right now. Stop thinking about it. Just go lie down, close your eyes or whatever you have for seeing, and go to rest. You are right, we will go on tomorrow."

"What... what will you do?"

"I'll stay right here, and have a rest too."

Aki set himself down on the ground, a few feet away from Eran.

He closed his eyes, trying to wipe his mind from what he'd just seen.

But he just couldn't sleep. He turned to the side, trying to rip his mind away from Eran. Something had happened to the creature, in its past, that he didn't know about. He sighed.

Suddenly, there was a rustle behind him, smooth, cool arms wrapping around him, and a grumble from Eran, and he was cuddling to his backside.

And strangely, Aki didn't even mind.

* * *

The morning dawned, and the crisp air woke Aki'ru up. The sun was just peeking over the mountaintops, bathing the shrubbery in golden light.

Aki rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and turned around. Eran was nowhere to be seen.

It was a strange dream he had, about Eran cuddling him at night.

Wait.

That wasn't a dream.

Eran had cuddled him, for sure. He saw two marks in the sand, him and Eran, lying very close. It was disgusting. He had to think of it as that.

But strangely, he didn't. Eran had something even Ka'nak didn't have. Sure, even though he was dead, Aki'ru did still think the muscular yautja was interesting.

Yet the xenomorph was different. Somehow, its black form fascinated him.

"Sleepyhead! Come on!"

Eran had bounced out of the bushes, pulling Aki's arm, a grin on his toothy face.

"What's wrong with you?"

"I found a trace!"

"Like you know how to read traces." The yautja got up, put on his mask, and followed the eager Eran.

They jogged through the prairie, Eran pointing towards tracks in the sand. "Here, she stepped into a vehicle. There was a fight. There's blood on the ground... here."

Aki'ru nodded. Eran was learning fast. He had watched him yesterday, and was now testing his skills.

"You're right. And the vehicle should be easy enough to follow. If we find the owner, he might give us a lift to the space port."

Eran nodded enthusiastically.

Aki decided not to mention last night. The xeno was acting like it had never happened.

"We follow it?"

The yautja nodded.

* * *

"Am I surrounded by Imbeciles, why is it so hard to execute an easy order? I TOLD YOU TO KILL THE ALIEN AND BRING THE PREDATOR BACK TO ME!" The governor jumped up, grabbing the man in miner's overalls by the lapels and shaking him viciously.

"I said find them, and do as you're told. And what did you do instead? You went and lost them. And now you're telling me you can't even find any traces?"

"I'm sorry sir, but the yautja possesses cloaking technology, and the alien is just too fast for us."

"For us? No, for you, my dear friend." The governor let go of the man, turning back to his office table.

"Sir, if you give me another chance! I need proper tracking equipment. I need-"

"Need, want, don't have. Anything else to say? Why don't you get on with what you posess?" He spun around, a biro pen in his hand, and slammed it into the man's eye. Blood spurted from the socket as the man roared in pain.

"I … gave… you… a… easy…. enough… order….." He kept on stabbing the man's face, who had now crumpled to the floor. "AND YOU MORONS DON'T GET A FUCKING THING DONE!"

Raising himself, he turned to the other two men, standing frozen in the doorway.

"And now I've got blood on my shirt."

He dropped the biro, sighing and wiping his hands on a napkin.

"Don't just stand there, you imbeciles! Get a body bag! And bring me someone who can actually chase these things."

* * *

Eran was exited, but Aki'ru had sent him to stay back. They were nearing a valley, and the tracks directly led into it.

It could be a trap, Aki'ru was almost certain it was one, and he had told Eran to find an alternative way. To stay under cover.

If it was a trap, he, Aki, would spring it, and see what happened. If it wasn't, it would be a good idea for the alien to stay back, in case humans were involved.

Aki'ru had demonstratively sheathed his wrist blades, and put the plasma caster into sleep mode. His knife was swinging visibly at his hip, in its sheath.

Walking slowly, evenly, he entered the gorge.

There was evidence of human activities, and he hoped Eran would stay undercover.

Something told him, though, that it wouldn't be a problem for the xeno to go unnoticed.

He wanted to negotiate with these humans. He wasn't here to fight any battles, he wanted to hunt Blood Moon, not some silly humans.

There had been an incident, a few years ago, he still remembered it. It was about a yautja, who had made sport of hunting unarmed settlers on a human colony somewhere.

It had "ended in tears" for the yautja, he had been trapped, like an animal, and then taken to his homeworld.

Aki had lost interest in the case from then on, though. Probably he ended up dead after what he'd done.

Walking into the shadows the narrow cliffs cast onto the stone below, he felt a shiver run down his spine.

He was being watched. If he'd been on a hunt, he would have avoided this open terrain, without any possibilities to reposition himself, in any way.

But he wasn't hunting, far from it. He was trying to reach a girl, a girl who's life he had inadvertedly saved. Maybe she could help him get somewhere civilized.

And yet, he hadn't been too reluctant to fight his way through the governor's men. If he could strike a deal with the humans here, they could help each other out.

He had nothing on himself that was of any value to humans, except his equipment, and he wouldn't hand that out, not out of his free will at least. Aki looked up, at the cliff edges.

Somewhere up there, Eran was stalking the shrubbery, staying on his tail. Helping him.

He yet had to get used to the concept of having something like a "friend". His last true friend had met a gruesome death. He didn't want Eran to go the same way.

The gorge went on for a few hundred metres, and then stopped, rather abruptly, in a round basin.

Aki'ru walked to the middle of it, and turned around. There were evidence of human activities everywhere, at least to his trained eye.

The vehicle tracks led to the middle of the basin, and then stopped, as if the vehicle had disappeared.

Aki stepped up to the end of the tracks, and started brushing away the sand.

Soon, he uncovered glinting metal below it.

A trap door. Just as he'd though.

Not a trap door.

A lift.

A lift which abruptly started to move.


	6. Chapter 6

It was wet. Paul's hair was down over his eyes, and he had to push it back frequently. The cave had a clammy, cold feeling to it. The scientist was bending down over two cryotubes, fumbling with them. They had found them in the old base, dirty and derelict, and non-functional. He had to get them to work. He just had to.

Akkan was close by.

_Can you smell it? _Paul asked.

_No. It's staying at the base. It likes it there. What do you want with those things?_

_In case my plan goes wrong, we will use these to last for a long time._

_Your plan will go wrong, Paul. We can't kill it. I've tried._

_Akkan, we must. We have to. Else it'll kill us._

_I know. _Sincerely, the xenomorph stroked his mate's back. _I never thought I'd die side by side with a human._

_We're not going to die, Akkan. We will kill that thing, and then we will go into cryosleep until someone comes too close to the cave._

Paul slumped down, leaning to the side of the tube. It had been such a carefree life. The planet Weyland had transported them to was peaceful and quiet. There wasn't even much ferocious wildlife, at least nothing Akkan couldn't deal with.

All had changed when they had discovered the derelict hive below the surface. They had seen dead xenomorphs. They'd seen a dead queen, lying brutally slaughtered in the midst of her own hive.

But that wasn't the worst of it.

During the next winter, part of the ancient base collapsed, taking the already barely functioning power generator with it. From that moment on, the base was a cold, wet hellhole, and it was breaking up.

The xenomorph had managed all right, but Paul had suffered, losing weight and frequently being down with sickness.

During spring they had decided to relocate to the mountains, a few kilometres away, hiding deep within caverns and caves, ones which they could heat up for warmth.

They had both scoured the Base for supplies, and even had found and removed the auxiliary power generator, and the two cryotubes.

Whilst checking the rubble from the cave-in for anything they could use, they had found another passage….

* * *

_Paul! Over here!_

The first rays of the spring sun were blaring down on the crater that had swallowed a large part of the base. Since first light the two had been wading through the rubble in search of anything useful they could take with them.

Paul was wearing a patchy jumpsuit, and Akkan was wearing nothing at all, since he was a xenomorph and xenos just don't do clothing.

And now Akkan had found something. Paul scrambled over the rocks and the metal to the black, spindly form of the xenomorph. He had removed a few stones, heaving them aside with his superhuman strength, and was now looking at a black opening in the rock.

_What is that?_

_I don't know. It's a passage. But it smells weird…._

It sure did. It was a weird, acidic smell.

_Smells like your blood to me, Akkan._

Akkan hissed, and bared his teeth in what was equivalent to human laughing. _Right, like you should know that._

_Oi! Don't go like that on me!_

_I can do whatever I like. Not like you can go and cry to anyone about it._

Paul head-butted Akkan playfully _DIE! HIDEOUS CREATURE! _He hissed

The xenomorph hissed, and lifted the human up. But Paul's momentum was too great, and Akkan stumbled backwards, into the hole.

It was a short fall, and a rather uncomfortable landing, with Akkan on his back and Paul on top of him.

The ground was hard, cool stone, and the sunlight was shining down from maybe three to four metres up above.

They gathered themselves up, Paul brushing the dust and the dirt from his suit.

_It doesn't look like a cave... _He brushed over the walls. _Someone made this..._

_This might have caused the station crash. A cave like this one._

_Can you see anything that I can't?_

_It's a corridor as far as I can see. Nothing special._

_Does it look part of the hive?_

_No, it's different. Let's follow it._

Paul felt Akkan's arms around his belly, the xenomorph lifted the human up, and deposited him on his back. It was a position they had used quite often now, especially whilst travelling in the dark. Akkan could just see so much more, and Paul could conserve what little light they had.

He felt the xeno move beneath him, and clung tightly to Akkan's exoskeleton. He purred, as he stalked through the darkness.

_Can you see anything?_

_No, just a corridor. _

_All right..._

_No, wait._

_What?_

_There's a door. A blockade._

Paul pulled the torch out of his pocked and switched it on, clambering down from Akkan's backside. They had come to halt in front of a large, metal door. Strange glyphs were etched on the surface.

_It's old… Very old... _

Paul put his hand to the aged metal. It was cool to the touch, and left his hand tingling with a strange sensation.

As he removed his hand, the door noiselessly slid back. Icy air rushed out at them.

He shone his torch in the room behind it, revealing a cavernous space behind it.

Slowly Akkan and Paul moved inside it, looking around.

It was at least fifty metres across, and the ceiling was so high that Paul almost couldn't make it out himself.

The walls were smooth stone, or maybe metal, Paul couldn't say. He moved across the flat floor to a raised platform opposite of the door.

There were strange carvings on the wall, and on the platform itself, Paul saw the dead, unmoving form of a human.

Suddenly, he felt Akkan's talon on his shoulder. _Wait. I'll look._

_Ok, but take care._

It was silent, only the slap of Akkan's feet on the stone could be heard.

_Don't worry. He's long dead._

Strangely preserved, and with a scary, calm expression, the dead human lay on the platform, his arms spread apart. Crucified…

His ribcage was destroyed and burst open, black, dried blood spread over his naked body.

_What do you make of this?_

_Looks like one of my people... _Akkan turned away, looking at the carvings on the wall.

Paul nodded, and scanned the room with his torch.

_Paul, Look! I'm on the wall!_

He spun around, and shone the light at the carvings.

It was a mural. A large one, depicting a xenomorph, its arms spread apart, its carved face surveying the room.

As if by magic, Paul followed its gaze, back towards the door.

The room wasn't empty.

By the door, stacked high, he could make out strange, roundish casks.

* * *

Eight days after they had opened the crypt, Akkan had found something strange.

One of the planet's predators, a creature similar to the terrean tiger had been disembowelled, and left to rot.

Two weeks afterwards, both Paul and Akkan were sure of it:

They weren't alone anymore.

The traces of someone, something that was hiding in the derelict base couldn't be ignored anymore. Doors were opened that should be closed, things had gone missing.

Animals died.

And one evening, Akkan refused to leave the cave, to go for one supply run to the base.

_What's wrong? _Paul asked. He had joked about Akkan being afraid of the dark, which made Akkan close up and refuse to talk at all. He had stomped off into the cave, and it had taken Paul close to an hour to find him.

_Nothing is._

_No, something is. Why won't you go out to the base?_

_I don't mind going to the base right now._

_So what's the hassle? Let's just go._

_I mind you leaving the cave after dusk._

_What's the big deal? You're with me. _

Akkan suddenly got up, and reached for Paul with his arms, pressing the human close to his chest. He hissed at the thin air, and then said, with a grave, dark voice: _There's something out there not even I can protect you from._

_I know that there's a predator out there, something killed those tigers, but it's not like it's some kind of ghost. I can take Weyland's old gun, if you want me to?_

_Paul, this is no normal predator. This is something that we have no power against._

_All right, then we stay here for the night. Tomorrow we will go and hunt it._

Akkan whimpered _We can't hunt it._

_How do you know so much about it?_

_I don't know, Paul. Somehow, from the moment I saw those Casks in the crypt, I got weird visions. _

_Visions?_

_You know. It feels like memories. But it can't be. I've never been here before…_

_Akkan, Tomorrow, We will go down into that Crypt and get one of those casks._

_We have to get all of them. Before it finds them._

_Akkan? You are scaring me._

_I'm not just scaring you, I'm scaring myself._

They stopped talking, and just hugged each other. Akkan nibbled on Paul's ear.

_Stop that!_

_It's fun. _The xenomorph hissed.

Whilst cradling Paul in his arms, the Xenomorph stepped through the caves, back to their "living" cave.

It was shut off from the rest of the caves by tarpaulins hanging over the entrances, keeping the warmth in.

Their "bed" which was basically an assortment of mattresses from the base, strapped together to make it large enough to accompany both the xenomorph and the human, was meticulously made, and Akkan set Paul down on the sheets.

_Don't worry anymore. We will manage._

Paul hugged Akkan. _We always did. _

The xenomorph planted a slobbery kiss on the human's lips.

_I love you._

_I love you too, Akkan._

* * *

The dark was its veil.

It was the dark, and the dark was part of it. Silently slinking through the base, it could see all the evidence of the human's presence. All those smells. All those emotions in the air.

All that happiness.

And yet, the base held no more secrets.

It wasn't yet strong enough to venture into the light. For so long it had stayed dormant down in the passages they had made for it.

Keeping it down

Keeping it powerless.

But now they were gone. Gone for ever. It was free.

Free, yes, but still powerless. The human was afraid of it and that was its only weapon. It had attempted to devour the puny creatures this planet had to offer, but that wasn't nearly enough. It craved for different prey. Intelligent prey.

Prey that fought back.

It was so weak. It needed to gather strength.

The door would not open. They might be gone, now, but their locks still worked. The door wouldn't open to it.

The door would only open to the human. It needed the human, as badly as it despised the race, those fleshy creatures. They reminded it of too much.

It needed to get to the chamber. Each night it was losing its power, weakening further.

Hibernation was not an option anymore. It wouldn't sleep. This was its chance. To rise up, above those that had created it, and wreak it's revenge.

The revenge of the Blood Moon.


	7. Chapter 7

Eran had clambered over the rocks, keeping himself out of the line of sight. His black body was of a disadvantage in the yellowish brown environment, but he was managing okay. So far, he hadn't encountered anything hostile.

He kept onto Aki'ru's tail, ever so often glancing over the edge into the shadowy valley.  
The yautja was walking slowly, evenly, for everyone to see.

He didn't approve of this part of the plan. He thought it was a terribly stupid ideas to trust these human things. You couldn't trust them at all. They did weird things, even Eran, who always understood more than his brethren never managed to grasp.

They even killed each other, which was very strange.

Not that strange though, Eran thought. He hadn't wasted any time, defending Aki'ru on the ship against one of the queen's guards.

He could still feel the steel in his hand connecting with the jaw of the guard. The screech and the wet squelch…

And the burning mind of the Blood Moon, too close to them.

Why hadn't it killed them? Aki was a fool, thinking they could hunt it. It was impossible.

And yet, seemingly the impossible was suddenly made possible.

He had killed. He had enjoyed the feeling of crushing his enemies.

And he'd found a friend, who'd understood him. Kind of, at least. As far as they could understand each other.

Aki'ru was very brave and very strong.

But he was also afraid of something, something Eran didn't know about.

Once again, the xenomorph bent forward, and pushed his head over the ledge, to gaze at the valley below.

It had opened up into a bowl, without any escape routes, but to scale the bare rock.

He couldn't see Aki'ru.

This alarmed him. He must've hidden somewhere amongst the rocks.

Except that there were no rocks to hide behind down there. There was nothing.

Eran kept scanning the sand for any tracks, irregularities that would tell him where Aki was. The tracks of the thing they were following led up to the middle of the bowl, and then they disappeared.

Eran retreated from the cliff edge, into the shadow of a large boulder. If the thing had disappeared, Aki must have followed it. But where?

It didn't fly away. There was no way out of the valley but the way they had come, and he wouldn't have missed it, if it had passed Aki.

There was only one way it could've gone.

Underground.

And if Aki'ru went underground, so would he.

Sniffing the Air, he quickly picked up a human trail. Humans always left a strong scent. A scent he'd recognize.

He followed it, keeping low, and keeping out of sight.

It led back, away from the bowl, along the plains. There were small clumps of shrubbery, and even small trees, and the trail was faint here and there, but the Xenomorph followed it.

For an age, or so it felt, he had crawled through the dirt, until he had found the source of the trail: A human male, resting in the shade of a big tree.

This was of no use to him.

The human was in pain, he could smell it. He had been injured and now was trying to take the weight off his right leg.

He garbled something into his wrist, bits of strange, alien language to Eran. He wished he understood the humans better. For now, he would need Aki'ru to translate.

The human turned around, and pressed against the tree.

And to the Alien's amazement, the tree, at least part of the trunk, slid back inwards. This must be a secret passage.

Eran watched the human disappear, and the door was about to close again.

He had to act fast.

Jumping into action, the xeno managed to squeeze his sinuous body into the passage beside the human.

This, naturally, caused the human to alarm. He was used to humans being scared of him.

But this was different. Aki wanted something with those humans, so he shouldn't kill it just yet. Even though he was getting hungry again, he just slammed the flat side of the spear against the creature's head.

It stopped crying in alarm, and dropped down the ladder, coming to rest in a cave-like tunnel a few feet below.

Eran stayed up, steadying himself, and listening.

No noise penetrated his sensitive ears.

The xenomorph clambered down into the passage, crouching down low and clutching his spear. His movement was controlled and slow, and of utmost silence. The only noise came from the claws of his feet slightly clicking on the hard stone floor.

The tunnel had ended at the ladder. It led off into one direction, and Eran, ducking close to the wall, followed it. The hunter within him did not approve of the tunnel's featureless walls. They provided no hiding, no cover in case there was another human.

Every now and then, Eran stopped, to sniff and listen. The further along the passage he went, the more definite the scents and the noises of humans became.

The tunnel changed too. It was no longer a passage through the rock, but rather reminded him of the Yautjan spacecraft. The walls were cold metal, and there were doors leading off the passage.

For the life of him Eran couldn't catch the yautja's scent.

The tunnels were starting to become crowded with objects Eran did not understand.

Twice now, he had seen humans, and he had hidden behind those crates and machinery. They had talked amongst themselves in that strange language of gurgling sounds, the language they used. Eran did not understand it, but apparently, Aki did.

Oh, how he'd long to know where the yautja was. It was all easier. Aki knew what to do. Aki had a plan.

Maybe the humans had entrapped him. Then it was down to him, Eran, to save him.

The xenomorph crept into a ventilation shaft. The hatch had automatically opened, as he had gotten near it, and now closed after he had passed through it.

There was a draught blowing through the passages, and it was dark.

Eran did not mind the dark.

The draught carried so many scents along it. Aki'ru's was bound to be somewhere amongst them.

* * *

Mark Lyndon-Finch was a very punctual man.

At exactly 4:45 PM he ended his break, and returned to his office at the top of the Weyland-Yutani tower.

His secretary had added a few notes to the stash on his desk, and he grabbed the first one

"Report of the vessel "Hyena 2"" It read, a memory card was attached to it.

Sighing, he cursed under his breath. Why was he given such work? He wasn't a flight conductor, for heaven's sake, he was the CEO of a rather large company.

Still, he was curious, why a flight report had landed on his desk, so he scanned it, quickly passing the less interesting parts, and heading to the juicy bits.

The last event the ship recorded was highlighted.

Day 126 of research flight four. Passed planet EVX-12. Old mining establishment, Derelict for over 200 years. Sentient population – zero.

Detection of a self-sustaining signalling beacon.

Signal strange. No landing attempt made, no authorisation present.

Beacon signal saved on memory card.

End of report.

Lyndon-Finch twisted the memory card between his fingers. EVX-12… it did not appear in his memory.

As far as he knew, it was deserted for a very long time.

He pressed the memory card into the desk's card reader.

The screen sprang into life.

He selected the Beacon's signal, and played the recording.

A computer's voice, slow and bored. It sounded ancient.

"Weyland-Yutani Beacon. To be transmitted to CEO. Special Order 569 to be executed. End of transmission"

The beacon ended with a beep, and then, a few seconds later, it started up again.

Lyndon-Finch rubbed his chin.

Special order 596… It didn't ring a bell.

He typed it up into the computer, and pressed enter.

The screen froze over.

Lyndon-Finch tried to hit the ESC button, but nothing worked. It was like the system had crashed.

He was about to call a technician, when suddenly the computer responded again.

"Special Order 596 accepted." The screen read, and then, everything went back to normal.

What had he triggered with that search query? Yes, it was true, the Weyland-Yutani tower's AI was getting older, but it was still good, so he didn't see any reason to get rid of it, not with the company's current financial debacle.

Suddenly, with a hydraulic hiss, the olde worlde bookshelf that was kept behind glass in the CEO's office, slid back.

A cryotube emerged from the dark hole behind the shelf.

It tilted into the vertical position, and started to open.

And Lyndon-Finch's jaw dropped, as a human emerged from it.

"What the hell…-?"

The human stretched, and stared at the CEO.

"Who… Who are you?"

Grinning now from ear to ear, he opened his mouth "Look… behind you."

Lyndon-Finch turned around, his gaze falling on the Portrait of Frederic Bishop Weyland, the last of the Weyland Clan to ever lead Weyland-Yutani.

"You… You're dead…." He stammered.

Frederic Weyland bent shook his head. "I was dead. But now I'm back."

"Who are you?" Lyndon-Finch exclaimed.

"I am Frederic Weyland's last great idea. I don't just look like him. I AM him."

"You are a robot…!"

Weyland's head fell back in a loud laugh. "I am a robot. And I'm here because someone activated the Beacon on EVX – 12. Let me get dressed first, and then get a meeting of the board of managers together. I have an announcement to make."

And with those words, the reborn Frederic Bishop Weyland disappeared back behind the old Bookshelf.

* * *

The managers had assembled, as Weyland, much his ancient self, dressed in a brown suit with a matching coat and scarf, took the stage.

Gasps of surprise were heard from the assembled men and women.

"Greetings." Weyland said: "You might know me from ancient portraits, but to introduce myself properly now, I am Frederic Weyland. The last of the Weyland clan having lead Weyland-Yutani almost two hundred years ago. And, like some of you might have guessed, I am an Android. I am, to a point, my human self's last great idea. I AM Frederic Weyland. I possess his mind, his memories. I am him. I have been lying dormant, frozen in time, until certain events arise. Well, they have arisen."

An elderly manager rose. "Are you planning to re-take your seat at the head of Weyland-Yutani?"

Weyland smiled "No, I am not. I am not here to carry on where I left off two hundred years ago. I am here, because the beacon on EVX-12 has been activated. And I am intending to go there, as soon as possible. There are matters there, which require my utmost attention."

"And why did you call all of us together?"

"Because I am making you an offer. I possess a great deal of experience in leading a firm. In rebuilding one. Reshaping, so to say. I am fully aware of the crisis Weyland-Yutani is in. How close to bankruptcy you were. I am offering to give you counsel out of this crisis."

"And what do you ask of us?"

"I ask your support to my current task."

"We will have to decide about that, Mr. Weyland. Your reputation is still existent, and all of us know how you managed to smoothly sell the heavy weapons division back in your day. To be precise, it is considered a managerial coup de main to do such a thing."

"I can tell you, it wasn't easy."

And then, to the utmost amazement of the people assembled, he recited the exact wording of the contract between Weyland-Yutani and the buyer. He grinned "Just to prove I'm genuine. Only I would've know the exact words of the contract."

"Mr. Weyland, we will decide about your offer. Please wait outside in the CEO's office."

Weyland bowed his head, and went out.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I apologize for the long wait for this chapter, but I did hurt my finger quite badly some time ago and therefor couldn't use a computer properly for quite a time. It is getting better now, so I should be able to write more **


	8. Chapter 8

The "Eleuthera" was slowly making its way down towards the planet's surface. Captain Sulcove was at the helm himself, slowly landing the large craft.

Frederic Weyland was behind him, looking out of the window and fiddling with a frayed seam on his coat. The beacon's signal wasn't far off, up the mountains, but the captain had decided to land the "Eleuthera" on the empty concrete patch that was once part of the old mining base. It was cracked and overgrown, but it was flat enough to set the ship down.

He really was wondering what he'd find. The beacon was activated, that meant that his old friends Akkan and Paul were in danger of some kind. But that was already over 150 years ago, so they were dead right now.

He wanted to know, still, even now, what had come of them.

The Board of Directors had accepted his proposal, and flown him out here in a company-owned ship, along with a small party of marines.

Even though he had tried to persuade them to stay on earth, apparently the company had instructed them to accompany him. There was also a scientist with them, Dr. Lennart. She was instructed to accompany them, and inspect the beacon.

Lyndon-Finch was careful, he had to give him that.

He would have preferred to be alone, but seemingly there was no choice.

Weyland heard the ship's engines roar loudly, and with a thump, it set down.

Applause erupted in the bridge, and even Weyland softly clapped in applause to the captain's landing skills.

"Captain, tell the Marines and the good doctor to assemble in the airlock, I'll be right with them, and we will start as soon as possible."

"But Mr. Weyland, the standard procedures…-"

"You can occupy yourself with them once we are underway. It's quite a march to the beacon's location, and the sun will set in four hours. I want to be back by then."

The captain intended to protest, but Weyland silenced him with the swipe of his hand. "No more. I've decided, and you can't overrule it." Smirking to himself, he turned around and left the bridge.

* * *

Dr. Lennart was already complaining.

They were walking through the overgrown brush for at least an hour already, two of the marines in front, and two behind, the Major leading the group. Weyland was walking beside Dr. Lennart, who had so far complained about the smell, the dirt, the shoes, and the effect hypersleep had on her.

Weyland, who had hoped to indulge in an interesting conversation about why the company had sent her, was increasingly annoyed with the good doctor.

And, to make matters worse, she was annoyingly slow.

Weyland had memorized a map of this place, locating the beacon within one of the large peaks a few miles from the old base.

The jungle was dense, and hacking down a path for Dr. Lennart to walk without constantly reminding them how important she was slow and time-consuming. Weyland broke free from her side, striding up to the major, who was smoking a rather large cigar.

"Major, I have an idea. Can we please halt for a short time?"

The army man nodded, raising his arm and halting the convoy. "Lads, Mr. Weyland here has an idea."

He cleared his throat. "Gentlemen and Dr. Lennart, I have a proposal to make. I propose the Major and I go up ahead. We are faster that the whole convoy, and we could manage to reach the ship again before dark."

The marines grumbled.

Dr. Lennart's squeaky voice piped up "Mr. Weyland, that's highly irregular. I was instructed by the company to retrieve the beacon intact and without any meddling. I shall not condone your action."

The major jumped to Weyland's aid. "Miss, the man's right. If the two of us hurry ahead, you can make your way back to the ship, and you'll return tomorrow to retrieve the Beacon. You'll be safely back at the ship before nightfall, and tomorrow, you can just walk into the cave and take the machine with you."

Lennart nodded "Suit yourself. This will be reported, though."

The major turned to one of the men. "Private Dunnis, accompany us. The rest, back to the ship."

* * *

Weyland, Private Dunnis and Major Thompson were making quick progress through the shrubbery. The major was a very un-talkative person, and Dunnis apparently didn't know anything. They walked in silence. Once nearing the mountains, the forest got less dense, allowing them to increase their pace. The beacon was almost four hundred metres away right now, and Weyland was already scouting around for a cave entrance. The mountainside was getting steeper.

"The beacon is close. We need a cave entrance, some way to get underground. Keep your eyes open, and watch your step."

The two other men nodded, Major Thompson lighting another cigar. "How do you propose to find the beacon once we are inside the caves? They could run for miles..."

"I'm not carrying this backpack around for fun. You will see." He smiled.

The continued their wordless search.

For another half hour, they slightly fanned out, each scanning the ground close to them, until Dunnis cried out: "Guys! I've found something!"

Weyland and Thompson alike came jogging over to him.

Dunnis was standing in front of a large hole in the ground. Sunlight blasted down from the, slowly sinking sun, illuminating the cave floor not three metres below.

"Do we go down?!"

"No, private, we do not. I am going to scan the cave network."

"How do you propose to do that? Are you a cyborg of some kind?"

"No, I've got a scanning device with me."

Weyland pulled the small case out of his backpack, and opened it. It contained a small, portable computer, and three round spheres.

Gathering them up, he flicked a small switch, activating them, and then dropped them into the cave.

Hovering slightly above the ground and emitting rays of light, they flew off along the tunnel.

Weyland opened the laptop.  
The three spheres painted a three dimensional image of the cave system on the laptop's screen.

"Are they going to map the entire cave system?"

"Yep. They cost a fortune, but they are about the most effective way."

In silence, the three men watched the sensors part along a junction, two flying one way, the other one flying the other way.

"What are they calibrated on?"

"Heat. Bio signatures. Electromagnetic waves. Basically anything that doesn't belong into those caves."

"All right."

They resumed their silence, watching the sensors map their way along the caves.

Suddenly, one stopped.

"Why did it stop?"

"It found something." Weyland replied simply.

"Does it say what?"

"No. The other two are still on their way, but given the fact it stopped, it must have found something important."

"Has it got a camera or something?"

"No, but it's only two hundred metres away from our position. Walking distance."

"You don't mean to-"

"You can stay up here if you like. I'm going down."

"Private, you guard the entrance. Keep in contact with the ship. I'm going to be staying in contact with you."

Dunnis nodded, and Weyland turned around, and smiled "This is it then."

He jumped down the hole.

The darkness enveloped him. There was a patch of light where the sun shone, but elsewhere, the cave was dark.

It was damp and cold as well, just as he'd expected. His navigator indicated them which way to take, and by the light of their phosphorus torches, they made their way through the cave system.

"What do you make of this, Major?"

They had arrived in a larger cavern.

"Someone lived here. Long ago."

Rust-ravaged bits of cutlery were on the floor, and in a decaying heap, something that might be identified as pillows was in one corner.

The whole room was in disarray. Bits of machinery were scattered across the room.

This did not look good to Weyland. He was sure this was where Akkan and Paul had lived, a long time ago. Something had driven them out of the old base, and seemingly, even found them here.

But the sensor hadn't stopped because of a few bits of metal scattered on the floor.

Weyland lead the way, along a narrow corridor, which narrowed down so far they had to slip through it sideways. It eventually opened up into another cave.

The sensor was hanging limply in the air, emitting waves of light, as Weyland's torch passed over the installation of the room.

Behind him, he heard Thompson gasp. "That's a fusion generator! A cold fusion generator!"

The large machinery was ticking away slowly, emitting an icy air.

In front of the generator, covered by generations of frost and dust, two cryotubes were situated.

"Shit, Weyland, what is this?" Thompson stepped over to the smaller of the two cryotubes "Who did this?"

Weyland, taken aback for a second, chuckled. "I have an idea who did this. His name was Dr. Paul Cromwell."

Thompson turned around, his face in anger "What are you hiding from me?"

Walking over to the cryotubes, he brushed away the dirt with a gloved finger. "Nothing, Major. These two were left here, two hundred years ago."

"Who are they?"

Weyland stopped scratching off the ice, beckoned to Thompson. "Help me with those controls. We have to un-freeze them."

They set to work. There was hardly enough power to keep the cryotubes to the right temperature, and keep the massage function running, and engaging the awakening process was going to draw quite a lot of power.

"I can crank the generators up, but we only have one attempt"

"I don't even know what to do." He pointed at the tubes "This stuff is ancient! A wonder it still works."

"There are no wonders in my world. On my command, you press the red and the blue button."

Weyland turned around, starting to work on the generator. Duly, its hum increased, and the power levels rose.

There was almost no fuel left. It might have lasted another few years, but no more. This was Paul's doing. The stuff was from the ancient base. He longed to know what happened, but it would have to wait.

The fuel was burning up rapidly due to the rise in power.

Or rather freezing up, given this was a cold fusion generator.

"Now, press the buttons on both cryotubes, Major Thompson."

The military man obliged.

With a mechanic hiss, the top of the cryotubes raised themselves upwards, revealing the contents.  
Weyland grinned. Paul truly was good. The man himself, a few years older at most, was lying in the cryotube.

The second one had been enlarged, and whilst Weyland suspected what was inside it, he failed to realize what it meant to the Major. As Thompsons gaze fell upon it, Weyland noticed the man's eyes widen in surprise and shock. He groped for his weapon.  
"WEYLAND! DOWN! IT'S A XENO-"

A gun clicked.

"Major, drop your weapon."

In the split second it took Major Thompson to recover from his shock, Weyland had already computed the situation, had drawn his, equally ancient but rather largely calibre, revolver and had aimed it between Thompson's brow.

"I said drop it!"

The weapon clattered on the floor "I can't have you shooting Akkan."

"Weyland, I will not-"

"I don't have time for your screeching and I don't have time for games. Run back to Dunnis. Get out of this cave and get back to the ship. I'll come back to you once the situation is clear."

"I-"

"GO!" Weyland roared, and Thompson complied.

Watching the Major make his way through the small tunnel, he grinned.

Holstering his gun, he turned to Paul. Quickly doing a life-sign check, which proved successful, he now only needed to lean back and wait for them to awaken.

Or rather for Paul to awaken. He didn't know if the Xeno had survived the cryosleep. Then again, it was an interesting experiment.


	9. Chapter 9

Paul heaved open his eyes.

It was freezing, and everything hurt. Even his eyes.

He clamped them shut again, trying to drown out the world. Where was he?  
It was only when he heard a faint voice in his stinging ears, that he opened them again

"Paul! Paul!"

Someone was bending over him, in his blurred vision. It was a human… the voice... he knew it…

"Weyland?"

"Yes, it's me. Fred Weyland. Wake up!"

Paul felt a hand rub his cheeks, and slowly, his vision cleared. Weyland was bending over him, trying to get him to waken up

"I'm okay…" he mumbled, trying to sit up. Everything hurt, but wasn't that completely normal for hypersleep?

Weyland at last let go of him, and leaned back, whilst Paul was adjusting to his surroundings.

He turned left and right, painfully wincing as his bones creaked.

"How's… How's Akkan?"

Weyland pointed at the second hypersleep capsule. Akkan was already moving. He was waking up, too.

"He seems all right. He's waking up, just like you."

"Weyland… you have a ship?"

He nodded "It's landed near the old base."

"Fuck, fuck, fuck..."

"Hey, Paul, what is it? What happened?"

"Difficult to explain... What time is it?" He had taken a glance at his watch but it had stopped.

"Just two hours to sundown." Weyland said. "We have plenty of time to get back to the ship".

"Can you signal them?"

"I can try. Listen, Paul. You have to tell me what's wrong. I need to know."

Paul rubbed his eyes, and sat up. Weyland helpfully handed him his coat. "Put this on"

The young man pulled the fabric tight around him, and shivered. "There is something out there. Listen to me, Fred. We couldn't kill it. We…"

"Paul, you have to calm down. We will get you and Akkan to the ship, and get you back in orbit."

Weyland had understood the gravity of the situation.

_Paul!_

_Akkan!_

_You're alive_

_Of course I'm alive. Speaking for yourself._

With a feral hiss, the xenomorph raised himself from the cryotube.

_Weyland is here, but he smells weird._

_Don't care for his smell, he'll get us out. _Paul knew, from the way the xeno sounded, that he was having doubts. But he didn't speak of them. Presently, he was bending over Paul, nudging him. Drool was already dripping from his lower jaw to the ground.

"Paul, can you walk?"

"I... I think I can." On wobbly legs, he raised himself.

"I know a walk like this is no good for someone who just left cryo, but I don't want to be here after sundown."

"It's...okay… Akkan will help me."

"All right."

Weyland turned around, squeezing himself through the passage.

Akkan supported Paul, helping him through the passage. The xenomorph's legs were also still shaking.

_Akkan, are you really okay?_

_Of course. I'm just feeling really weird. Must be that sleep thing._

_I hope so. _

Weyland led the way. "It's about two hundred metres till the exit."

"There's no exit back there. We blocked everything."

"There is one, sure. A hole in the cave."

Paul nodded. He was shaking and clutching onto the xenomorph's arm.

"Weyland, I need your help."

"If you tell me what this is about, sure."

"I can't right now. But we are in danger."

Akkan scooped Paul up in his arms. _We should hurry._

"Fred, can we hurry?"

"Of course." Weyland fell into a jog.

* * *

The wind had picked up.

Dark clouds were chasing across the sky.

Weyland had helped Paul to the surface, Akkan managing with one single jump. The xenomorph was recovering very fast, unlike Paul, who was still very very weak.

They set off at a brisk stroke through the woods. Weyland did not need a map. He could retrace his steps easily.

Akkan was behind him, keeping up easily due to his lithe form. Weyland was aware that it would not be easy to get the xenomorph into the ship, but he knew he would manage.

There was a story behind this, he knew as much. Paul was scared, even Akkan was worried.

And they were in for a shock. He couldn't tell them right now how long they had slept. Paul wouldn't be able to take it in his current state. He needed medical attention. Hypersleep was meant for periods of months, not decades or even centuries. Paul and Akkan had beaten the record by about 150 years. He wasn't really sure.

The first raindrop started to fall, and soon Weyland was drenched. Akkan had bent his head forward to shield Paul from the worst of it, but he couldn't really stop it.

They hurried through the brush, plants whipping at their face.

Lightning struck through the air, followed by a deafening thunderclap. The canopy of trees was moving violently, leaves and branches hurtling through the air.

They burst through the edge of trees onto the large, cracked concrete runway.

The "Eleuthera" was sitting squatted down not two hundred metres from their position.  
"RUN!"

Akkan fell into a gallop, and he started to run as well. The wind tugged at his hair and his wet clothes. The rain almost came down horizontally, splattering against his face.

Finally, they reached the large metal form.

Weyland was opening a panel beside the main airlock, punching in the authorisation code. The panel beeped. "Code Invalid."

Thompson must have changed it.

Sighing, he ripped out the panel, pressing the data line into his palm.

Closing his eyes, he interfaced with the computer, overpowering its defences and ordering the Airlock to open.

Creaking, it slid open, and the three of them bundled inside the small room.

The large metal door drowned out all other noises as it closed again, and they were within the stillness of the vessel's belly.

Weyland moved in front of the xenomorph. "I'll handle this. Stay behind me, Akkan."

He hissed in compliance.

The inner door slid open, to reveal the loading bay.

It was piled with marines aiming towards them.

Weyland slowly raised his hands. "No need to shoot! The situation is under control."

"Down, Weyland!"

"Thompson, call your Marines back, the situation is under control!"

"Step aside!"

"Lower your weapons, we need to get a friend of mine to sick bay. I will explain the situation to you after that."

"I can't let you bring that thing on board."

"It's tame. Harmless. Just leave it alone."

The situation was tensing up. Weyland was sizing up the situation. As long as Paul was out cold, he couldn't rely upon Akkan. Six bullets in his revolver. Five Marines. No cover. It wasn't going to work.

"Weyland, step aside."

"I can't do that. Don't you see, Major, I can't have you shooting them."

"I can't let you bring it –"

"Twenty thousand dollars to each of your marines if you let me."

Thompson hesitated.

Weyland interfaced with the ships computer again, killing the power supply momentarily.

The lights went out.

"DOWN!"

Behind him, he heard Akkan fall to the ground, shielding Paul with his body. Whipping out his revolver, he fan-fired five shots.

The lights went on again.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" Dr. Lennart was screeching.

Five marines were lying on the floor, bleeding.

He hadn't missed one shot.

"Akkan. Disarm them."

Hissing, the Xenomorph slowly put down Paul, and loped over to the soldiers, taking their weapons.

They were groaning and howling in pain.

Major Thompson's face was pulled into a grimace. "..What have you done...?"

"I literally disarmed you."

* * *

Paul was coming around.

Weyland, Dr. Lennart and Dr. Crowhaven were standing outside the medical station, watching him through the glass panel.

Akkan was inside it, sitting beside the bed, his head resting on the sheets.

Lennart spoke up. "Weyland, what's your motive?"

"My... motive?"

"Why did you shoot the marines? What's it with this xenomorph? Where did the human come from?"

"The roots of these events go back two hundred years into the past."

"How so?"

"These two were on this planet for two hundred years."

Ignoring Lennart for now, Weyland turned to Crowhaven: "Will he be all right?"

"It's too early to say. He's certainly very weak. But he's a fighter. He will come through. His brain is undamaged."

"The rest one can rebuild, right?"

"You could say so."

"And the xenomorph?"

"Do I look like I know anything about those creatures? They are practically extinct around here."

"Well, any ideas?"

"He seems all right. They can withstand quite a lot." Crowhaven turned around. "If you will excuse me, I have five other patients with holes in their hands to tend to."

"My orders are clear, even to you, Crowhaven. They are prisoners. Tend to them all you like, but don't let them out."

Crowhaven turned around again. He brushed a hand through his grey hair. "I am not an idiot, Mr. Weyland."

He left, leaving Lennart and Weyland alone. "The company will hear from this."

"Dr. Lennart, I am giving you the choice, of working on my side, or on Major Thompson's. I do not have any qualms about locking you up for the rest of the journey but I'd much rather cooperate with you."

"Mr. Weyland, I am a scientist, not from the military. I have my own agenda."

"Then you will cooperate."

After a few seconds, she answered. "Yes."

"Then follow me. We have work to do."

They left sick bay.

* * *

Akkan was holding Paul in his arms.

They were discharged from sick bay a few days ago, and until now, Paul was rather useless. He was sleeping most of the time.

_How are you?_

_Feeling like shit._

_Go and feed. You'll feel better. _Akkan hissed, stroking Paul's side with his talon.

_I've had enough to eat. _He turned around, clinging onto Akkan.

The xenomorph stroked his backside, his talon quickly slipping under the white hospital gown.

He hissed in pleasure as his talons passed over the human's soft skin. Grinning, he ripped the gown apart, revealing the white skin below.

_Akkan!_

He had stripped the human naked and caressed his soft flesh.

_I know what you need, Paul._

He hissed, spreading drool across the human's back, kissing the spine. Paul wriggled in pleasure, lying down on his belly. _I want you, Akkan._

_I want you too..._

_No, I want to feel you..._

Right now, Akkan already had an erection.

_What do you mean..?_

_I want to feel you inside me…_

_Are you sure?_

Paul nodded softly. _Please be careful._

_I will. _

Then, Paul pushed himself up onto his hands and knees waiting for Akkan to take him.

Soon enough, the wait was over as Akkan pushed his xeno face into Paul's tight cheeks, slightly drooling on them. Then, using his talons to gently spread his drool over Paul's delicate little anus, occasionally teasing Paul with a few prods from his talons, eliciting cute, short moans from his lover.

Paul softly moaned, but Akkan felt the tenseness the human must feel.

He lay down on top of him, hugging him, making him ease up, and wrapping his tail around one leg, softly spreading it apart.

Bending down and kissing Paul's lips, he carefully pushed their hips together.

It felt like electricity coursing through his body.

Paul was moaning loudly, as Akkan pushed deeper into his lover. He longed to give in to his mating urge, but he couldn't, not now. He had to concentrate.

Slowly, he pushed downwards, waiting ever so often for Paul to acclimatise himself.

Soon, Paul moaned loudly, and Akkan screeched with pleasure, as he thrusted faster, pounding down on Paul's rear, giving into the primal urge to mate.

His hips slapped against Paul's butt, the satisfying noise making him want to screech loudly.

His talon was on Paul's back, pushing the human down into the mattress. He was his, his alone.

Paul moaned loudly, bucking on the mattress. "Yeah…" he whispered, his sentence dying away in a loud moan as Akkan thrust into him deeply again.

Akkan screeched again, pushing himself deeply into the human, and with a roar he stopped pounding and released his seed deep into the human.

Paul moaned, coming into the mattress.

* * *

It was like something had pulled the plug on Akkan. Paul felt the xenomorph release his hot seed into his rear, and he moaned, spraying down into the mattress.

The xeno collapsed on top of him, lying on his back.

They were utterly exhausted.

Eventually, Akkan tried to withdraw from Paul, but he clamped his legs around his lover's hip.

_Stay..._

_I love you, Paul..._

For a long time, they lay there, hugging each other, as far as possible, and eventually, Paul drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Finally, next Chapter! I've been on holiday, therefor the delay.**


	10. Chapter 10

Eran scuttled through the ventilation shaft.

He was confused, and another emotion was pushing itself into his brain. He longed to see, even to smell Aki again.

He was anxious. Something might have happened to the Yautja

So much time had passed.

He had watched the humans through the grates, talking to each other and doing things they always did.

They were a violent race. He had to be cautious.

After, to him, decades of crawling through these metal shafts, the air constantly wafting along brought a familiar scent with it.

For some reason he'd smell the Yautja's scent from a million other human scents.

Overjoyed in his mind, he followed it, tracing its faintness through the tunnel network. It was almost like a beacon guiding him home.

He had done so, taking care not to make too much noises, until he found the yautja.

Aki'ru was in a large, bare room. He did not wear his mask any more, and Eran could feel anger radiating from him.

He was conversing with a human who was standing a few feet away from him. Eran couldn't understand a word they were garbling, but from the tone in Aki's voice he deduced the Yautja was angry to some extent. His voice was low and controlled, but Eran could feel the defiance in it.

"I'm here." He clicked with a low voice. The human wouldn't hear it. There were too many different noises in the room. But Aki'ru would.

He saw the yautjan tense up, and stop talking.

The human stopped as well.

Then Aki'ru continued.

* * *

It was during a lengthy debate with Josiah Woodburn, the leader of the "Rebels" as they called themselves, that Aki'ru heard strange clicks from the metal grate above him. It almost sounded like "I'm here." Eran couldn't be…

Sniffing the air, he could smell the rather sweet scent of the serpent. Eran was here.

That meant leverage. And a Plan B.

"Aki'ru. Am I pronouncing that right?"

Aki nodded.

"Well, Aki'ru, I don't really care what you say. Yes, you did save Brigitta's life, but that doesn't matter. Why is all that matters. I'm fighting a war, don't you see. Why are you here?"

"I am here to get to a spaceport. There has been a mishap on my ship. I need to get back there."

"Well, maybe we could be of assistance to each-"

"I don't fight your wars for you."

"I can have you killed on the spot."

Aki'ru laughed, a growly, guttural laugh. "That's dishonourable."

"Listen up. I don't care for honour. I am not one of you." he spat the last part. "I am here to win a war. Whatever the cost. And if you like it or not, you're part of it now."

Aki growled "I am not part of your war. "

Woodburn stepped up close to him "You are now."

Stepping towards the door, he waved at a window in it, and the door opened. "I'd suggest you stay here, till you changed your mind.

He left, and the door was shut and bolted.

"Aki!"

"Eran, is that you?"

Behind the grate in the ceiling he could see the xenomorph's grin flash out at him.

"Who else? What happened?"

Aki noted that the xenomorph's yautjan was losing its accent.

The Yautja gave him the details, involving him loosing most of his weapons and ending up in this cell.

"Why didn't you fight?" the Xeno asked after he had heard the end of the tale.

"Because I want to kill Blood Moon."

"And now you're prisoner."

"Just about yeah."

"And your weapons are gone."

"Yeah."

"Just a second."

There was a loud crash, and the grate bent outwards.

Eran kicked at the grate again and again, until, accompanied by a shower of dust and mortar, the large grille came down.

Eran poked his head out of the hole. It was at least three and a half metres down to Aki.

"Can you fit through this hole?"

Aki sized it up. "Just about."

"Then grab hold of my rear."

Eran lowered himself down into the cell.

"What do you mean?"

"I said grab hold of my rear. Legs and tail. You know."

"You can't haul me up"

"Don't worry. I'm strong."

The yautja put his arms around the xenomorph's lower body.

"Here goes."

Seconds later, Aki and Eran were up in the ventilation shaft, the xenomorph breathing heavily, and the Yautja slightly squashed.

"How did you find me, Eran?"

"Your smell."

"What is with my smell? Do I stink?"

That got him a soft kick against the chest. "You don't. "

"Oi, you big serpent. Don't go bossy with me."

Eran hissed, and started to scuttle ahead.

"Where do we go?"

That made the xeno stop again. Aki shuffled up to him.

"I don't know."

"Well I don't either. You came in here, you can get me out again."

Aki heard a note of doubt creep into the xenos voice." I think so…"

"I will follow you."

Eran led the way, Aki'ru shuffling after him.

* * *

Night had fallen. The wind had picked up.

Eran had done a fine job of leading them out of the cave system, and they were now standing in the middle of the desert.

The air was icy, and they had made a makeshift camp behind a large rock.

Aki was sitting down on the sand, lost in thought.

Eran had gone and killed an animal, carrying it to the yautja.

"Eat."

"Eran, I don't want your kill."

There was still anger in his voice

"Why not? It's only fair. Besides, I killed this one for you. I already had one."

"It's not honourable." He turned towards Eran "You realize that even if we kill blood moon, once it is dead, I will die too?"

"Why?"

"Because I am a bad blood now. I've brought dishonour over myself. I lost my weapons. I behaved like a child. I fled. I chucked everything I knew about honour into the bin."

"You didn't."

"What do you know about honour? You do not have-"

"I might not have honour, but I know how things work. You survived. You saved people. Isn't that honourable?"

"I lost my weapons. I turned and ran where I could've fought."

"It doesn't matter what your people say." Eran squatted down beside the yautja, fiddling with his tail tip.

"What do you know?"

Quietly, the Xeno whispered "Honour is not in code and law. Honour is what is good and proper." He put his talon on the yautja's side. "Honour sits in the heart. That's what is important."

Softly, Aki took Eran's talon, and put it on his right chest. "That's where the heart is."

Eran felt a soft beating under the scaly skin.

"Your people would kill me, Aki, and yet, here I am, talking to you."

"You are special, Eran."

"Another yautja wouldn't care. He would blast my head away. Would that be honourable?"

Aki sighed "I guess not."

Eran hissed. "See. It's in the heart, not in the name."

"Oh Eran…"

He didn't know what came over him. The xenomorph, it's talon on his heart looked weak and spindly in the glow of the planet's moon, yet he had spoken with such strength.

His arms slipped around the creature, and they crashed into each other, into a violent and powerful embrace.

* * *

Aki woke up to a rather uncomfortable sensation.

The xenomorph had wrapped its tail tightly around the yautja, pushing them close together.

Eran was awake, he could tell by his movements.

"Eran…"

"For a predator you have a deep sleep."

"Listen, I don't want you to think I-"

"What do you mean? That you're weak? That everyone thinks you're weak?" hissing, Eran removed his tail "You are not weak. You are not a weak creature. You are strong."

Eran rubbed the yautja's back.

"Don't..."

"What?"

"This is awkward…"

"What do you mean?" The xenomorph moved his big head in front of Aki's.

"I … uhhh… you.. Uhh… Just go away, okay?"

Eran was startled by the sudden outburst, let go, and waited for Aki to extract himself.

But the Yautja didn't.

"Aki, what is it?"

"Nothing. It's nothing."

The xenomorph was puzzled.

Aki's plan to withdraw quietly and get out of this situation was ruined all of the sudden, when he felt Eran's talon slide down his side, and quite by accident brush against his groin.

"What's that?"

"Eran, look. It's not like that. I mean you're a guy, right? A male? I don't know, you're a serpent, I don't know, right, this doesn't work like this… Would you please let go?"

Eran didn't. He pulled at the yautja's loincloth, removing it from his hip, and chucked it away.

"Eran… please…"

Gripping Aki's hand in his talon, he moved it between his own legs.

Inadvertedly, the yautja curled his hand around the large, long object he found there.

For a moment both lay there, hands around each other's cock.

Then Aki'ru growled and pushed Eran over on his back. He didn't want to be turned on by the xenomorph lying defencelessly in the sand. Beckoning to him, without moving.

But sure as hell he was. He rubbed his hand along the creature's hips, and across its cock, producing feral hisses and growls. For such a long time he hadn't mated anyone, and now this was just perfect.

Eran reached his talon for Aki'ru, but the yautja growled playfully "Don't touch it" The xenomorph moved his hand back.

Still stroking the creature's erect dick, he growled at him "Open your maw."

Puzzled, Eran opened both maws, and Aki, Straddling Eran's head with his knees, pushed himself into the xeno's little maw, slippery with drool. Eran gagged. "You are mine now, little one." He growled. "My mate. You will be mine forever."

The xeno couldn't answer, as Aki was inside his mouth, but he nodded a bit. "Suck!" the yautja bellowed, and Eran complied, moving his inner maw along the length of Aki's shaft. He was enjoying himself, strangely. A guilty pleasure, feeling the xenomorph, an alien that was actually his enemy suck his own cock. Eran seemed to enjoy himself as well.

He kept his hand firmly around the xeno's cock, rubbing it up and down. It was rock-hard, and he guessed right that Eran hadn't used it for some time too.

Fuck foreplay.

He withdrew from the xeno's mouth.

"Raise your legs." He growled, and got down to business.

The xeno complied, raising his legs, and drooling happily. It hissed.

Aki brushed his hand across Eran's mouth, picking up the drool and spreading it around the base of Eran's tail.

"Ready?" He clicked.

"I... I think so…"

Aki'ru pushed against Eran's tail hole.

He knew Eran was fast. Faster than most xenomorphs.

But this time things happened without him really noticing it.

Eran had screeched, kicked him savagely in the chest, sending him flying, and in a flash, Aki, who was on his back now, was staring into the angry face of a Xenomorph, and the tip of a yautjan spear, a sharp spear, his spear, and was pointing against his forehead.

Behind Eran's face, he, for a second, glimpsed the animal within his friend, for a second he saw the rage and the fear that he had felt when Eran had crippled the praetorian. The rage and the fear that were almost killing him. In that moment, he knew what the xenomorph had been through. He knew what had been done to him. How he had suffered.

Then all of it was gone, and the xenomorph crumpled into a heap.

It was replaced by an ice-cold hate. A hate that chilled Aki.

With a roar, Eran raised the spear, and rammed it through his own foot, burying the metal in the sand.


	11. Chapter 11

Aki watched horrified as the xenomorph plunged the spear deep into his foot.

Yellowish blood spilled out, melting the sand readily.

The shock only lasted a few seconds until the yautja sprang into action.

"ARE YOU MAD!?" He wrenched the spear out of the foot, and watched in horror as the blood spurted out.

Eran howled in pain, and Aki had to take care not to get any acid blood on himself.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" he roared at the xenomorph, who had right now fallen down on his back.

"I… I'm … sorry… I'm sorry…" he squeaked.

Aki felt guilt. He had rushed Eran into something he didn't want, there was a trauma buried in this creature's past, a trauma he knew nothing about.

"It's all right. Refusing isn't a crime…"

"But... I attacked you..."

"Don't worry about me. You hurt yourself…"

"It's okay..."

"Put your leg up, wait till the blood dries, and we will bandage it."

Eran lay back, and put his foot on a stone. It fizzed and melted when his blood contacted it.

"I'm sorry…"

"Right, Eran. Never do that again! Never hurt yourself again!"

"But…"

"You can't move anyway now."

The xeno winced in pain, and Aki grabbed one of his talons, holding it tight. "Tell me about it. What happened back then?"

"It's hard…"

"Try…"

"All right."  
As the xenomorph started talking, Aki noticed that he was now completely fluent in yautjan, even slightly adopting Aki's dialect.

"There was the praetorian… he had a name, but I don't remember it... He was one of the largest males… He liked me…" Pained by the memory, Eran hissed. "Then one day he wanted me... I didn't want him… but he didn't care… He hurt me. He hurt me so much. He said I had a new position in the hive... his personal…" with a croak, Eran's voice failed.

Aki realized. Eran had been raped, over and over, by the same praetorian he had crippled on the ship. If he had resisted, the praetorian had hurt him to make him comply.

No wonder it had been so easy to capture him. He wanted it to happen.

Aki didn't for the life of him think such things existed in xenomorph hives. "I'm sorry, Eran... I really am. I didn't want to hurt you. It was all supposed to be fun." He felt guilty and somehow ashamed. "I wanted to mate with you…"

Eran hissed and growled. "I want to mate with you too, Aki'ru..."

"Right now you're in no shape. Why did you do that for?"

"I hated myself for hurting you."

"Oi, you big serpent, it takes more than that to hurt me" humour had crept back into Aki's voice.

Pained, Eran grinned a bit as well.

"Don't worry about it, Eran. Forgive and forget."

Any other yautja he would've killed for the attack, but with Eran it was different. It was so different with that creature, unlike it had ever been with any yautja.

"Aki..."

"Yeah, Eran?"

Eran didn't answer. He had rested his head backwards, tilted towards the starlit sky.

Silence enveloped them, as the moments froze and elongated.

Finally, Aki shattered the silence, as he got up, and pulled his loincloth on again. He ripped of a stripe of it, and wrapped it around the damaged foot.

"Will you stay alive?"

It was a strange question for a xenomorph to ask a yautja.

Aki stroked the domed, smooth head. "I will, if you do..."

A

The morning came crisp and clear. Soon the sun would ride high over the desert again, and it would get uncomfortably hot.

Aki had eventually eaten the meat Eran had caught for him, and they had set out again, back towards the frontier town.

If they were truly part of this war, then they would achieve a victory unheard of.

A victory out of need, granting them access to the freight train.

Aki was merely armed with his machete he had kept, and Eran was hobbling along, in pain, ever so often stopping to let himself rest.

"We're not getting anywhere, Eran."

"I'm –"

"Don't say it again. It doesn't matter. Climb on my back."

"What?"

"Climb on my back. You're light."

"But you-"

"It doesn't matter. If I carry you, we'll be much faster, and you'll recover better."

Reluctantly, Eran climbed on the yautja's broad back. Aki hardly felt him.

"Hold on tight" he said, and then started jogging westwards at a swift pace. The settlement shouldn't be more than a day's walk away right now.

He felt the xenomorph holding onto his armour with all appendages. His skin was smooth and cool against the yautja's exposed scales, and his head, resting on one shoulder, ever so often dripped a bit of drool on the yautja.

He didn't mind.

It was almost as if he liked the close contact the alien had to him.

Hell, he did like it. He enjoyed it. Eran did too. He felt the talons, deadly and sharp, cling onto his exposed scales. He pushed them under the armour, so he could feel Aki's body. Ever so often they changed position. It was almost as if the alien was exploring him whilst he was running.

Aki loped over the dunes, an expert runner over long distances. He had trained this, running the length of the ships he was assigned to, and now it came to fruit.

The xenomorph on his back had stopped moving, just clinging onto him, and getting some rest. He himself hoped to find a possibility to rest for a few days, and re-equip. Then he had to turn to identify Blood Moon and find a way to kill it. Eran had to help him with that, but he did not doubt the xenomorph in any way anymore. In his own way, Eran was more a yautja than others he had met.

He was deadly fast, even he had experienced it now, and he was not one of the slowest. Aki had watched Eran fight against the humans with such a grace and a speed unmatched yet of anything he had seen.

Thirst made its way up into Aki's mind. It was a long time since he had last drunken anything. The blood of the animal he had eaten didn't count. He was strong, yes, but he did need water every now and then to survive. It wasn't like he was going to dry out right now, but the sun was hot and high in the sky, and to retain his strength he would need to drink again soon. Strength was all he had right now, to best the humans. Strength, his machete and his brains.

Oh, and the injured alien clinging onto his back.

He patted Eran on the arm, and jogged on.

A

Dusk had fallen again, and the terrible heat of the day was wiped away to be replaced by an icy cold.

Aki had set Eran down, who was right now hobbling along behind him.

His jaws were clenched, the only sign betraying the pain he must be in. He did not make any noises.

"Eran?"

"Yes, Aki?"

"Can you see me?"

"What do you mean?" the xenomorph stopped.

"Do you have eyes?"

"Well of course I do."

"Where are they?" Aki asked curiously.

Eran tapped his dome. "They are behind that. We can see through the dome. It's translucent from the inside. Why?"

"I was just curious…"

"They work at night as well as by day."

The two made their way up on the top of a larger dune at the border of the governor's town.

"So what's the plan?" Eran asked.

"It's an easy one. We find the governor and make him give the train up to us.."

"And what about the other men?"

"If they stand in our way, we kill them."

Eran nodded. "That's a plan. And then?"

"We take the freight train to the spaceport."

"Okay."

Aki scooted down the dune and hid behind a clump of shrubbery. He whispered to Eran, who hobbled down the dune, and hid beside him: "You sure you can do this?"

"I can." Came the reply.

"If your foot stops you-"

Eran shoved Aki playfully, and left the cover, scouting over to the next. His foot was slowing him down, yes, but he coped with it without complaining.

The yautja hid behind a small wall, peeking over it. The lights in most houses were extinguished. Music still wafted over to Aki's ears from the Saloon, but the streets were deserted.

He could see Eran vault over the wall, and creep along the shadow of the buildings, limping as he went.

He himself clambered over the wall, keeping close to the metal walls of the buildings. Most of them had a veranda, and he used the shadow they cast to move completely unseen. He had crossed two houses, keeping level with Eran on the other side of the street, when suddenly two men stepped from the light of the saloon on the darkness of the street.

Aki tensed up, pressing back against the house. He was sure they couldn't see him, besides a strong smell of alcohol wafted over to him. He waited for them to step back inside, but they didn't.

A small fire flared up in the darkness, and soon, both had started smoking and conversing in low voices. He didn't dare to move, as they were almost directly staring at him, only the shadow of the veranda was protecting him.

Around the corner of the saloon he glimpsed a figure slinking through the darkness. Eran was hiding behind the corner.

He was pointing at the left guy, and himself. Again and again.

Silently, Aki'ru drew his machete, wielding it in his hand, slowly bending the arm backwards.

Eran held up one of his talons, and counted down.

Three

Two

One.

In a flash, Aki threw the machete at the right man, watching it arc through the sky and impact with a dull thud in his chest.

Eran had moved out from the darkness at the left person in the second Aki had thrown the weapon, and dispatched him with a well-targeted head bite.

Gripping the bodies, he pulled them back into cover, the last thing Aki saw was that the xenomorph plucked his machete from the dead body. Then he disappeared into the dark again.

The music in the saloon did not stop.

Aki continued. Only a few houses left to the governor's.

A

Eran met Aki in front of the large house the governor owned, getting his machete back from Eran.

The door was locked, but a window on the first floor was open. They needed to get up there.

"Can you climb on the roof of the veranda?" Aki asked.

Eran shook his large head. "Not with my foot."

"I'll give you a boost up, and then you pull me up."

"Okay."

Aki gripped Eran's hip, and lifted the xenomorph upwards. He was light, so Aki wasn't worried. He was strong enough to lift weights far heavier than Eran.  
He clambered up, and suddenly, Aki felt his friend's tail curling around his chest.

A xenomorphs tail was strong, strong enough to skewer a yautja, he had seen so himself. Eran used it carefully, curling it around his chest and lifting him upwards.

His hands gripped the edge, and soon both of them were standing on the veranda's roof.

Aki drew his machete and Eran extended the spear. The window on the first floor was wide open, allowing the air conditioning to be switched off, and the fresh night air to enter.

Aki was first to enter the home, moving very silently and rather slowly along the passageway. Eran followed him, equally silently, resting part of his weight on his tail rather than on his destroyed foot.

He peeked into the first door, revealing it to be a rather large room filled with computers of all sorts. The next one was a bathroom, and from the third one, Eran could hear the level, slow breathing of a human. He could smell its scent, feel its heartbeat.

Silently he pointed at the door, slightly ajar, and Aki nodded.

Slowly, they entered the room.


	12. Chapter 12

Paul was sitting in Weyland's quarters.

"So you're serious about this? You're not pulling my leg? I've been frozen for almost two hundred years?"

"Yep. Give or take a decade."

"That puts me to an interesting question, Fred."

"Pray tell."

"Why are you still around?"

"Ahh, I've already wondered when that question would come."

"So?"

"I am an android."

Paul took an involuntary step backwards.

"No, don't be afraid. I am not just an android looking like Weyland. I am Frederic Bishop Weyland, in a sense at least. I have his memories, his mind. I am him. Don't worry."

"I don't." Paul seemed pacified, at least for the moment. He was dealing with the shock better than Weyland had expected him to.

"You still haven't told me about the experience you had on the planet."

"It's difficult to explain. I'll try." Paul cleared his voice.

Akkan, who had previously curled up on Weyland's bed, uncurled, yawned, and curled up again.

"We found something down there. Casks. Casks that contained weird liquid. Black, thick liquid. It was thirty-two of them, hidden down in a cave by some extra-terrestrial species. Some species that had prior contact to the xenomorphs. Anyway, to cut a long story short, something was guarding those casks. Some creature." Paul shivered. "It was something from out of this world."

"What did the black liquid do?"

"I don't know. You remember, I didn't have any lab, nothing. But from the few experiments I could conduct, it mutated things. Akkan wouldn't go near it."

"Where are these things now?"

"They should still be in the cave where we found them for the first time."

"And the creature? Is that the reason you went into cryo?"

Paul nodded. "It was after us. Akkan was scared of it. We hid deeper and deeper in the caves, but it kept coming after us. But it never liked the caves much. It preferred the base. We activated the beacon and froze ourselves, and hoped for the best."

"What an experience." Weyland patted Paul's shoulder. "I suppose you don't ever want to return to that place."

"Fred, it was after those casks. We wanted to hide them, but we couldn't anymore. It couldn't open the door to the crypt where they were stored."

"What was it? It must have been very powerful..."

"Akkan called it the Blood Moon. According to his "Hive memories" as he called them, the Xenomorphs see it as something like the Grim Reaper. Blood Moon is Death."

Weyland was silent for a second.

"We need those casks." He said.

"If it didn't get them first."

_I doubt that._

"Akkan doubts it got the casks."

_If it would've gotten them, we all would be dead. I've seen what it wanted. It wanted the casks. It couldn't survive without them. Certainly not two hundred years._

"It should be dead by now according to Akkan"

"Listen, Paul. You stay on the ship, I can do that by myself quite fine."

"You can't. The door only opens to humans. It didn't open to Akkan, it didn't open to Blood Moon, and so it won't open to you."

"I can take Dr. Lennart…-"

"I'll go with you. I want to make sure all of these casks are away from that planet. I want to make sure they are destroyed."

Weyland nodded. "I'll speak to Captain Sulcove. Let's get this over with." Abruptly, he got up and left the room.

Paul remained with Akkan.

_Do you think we can trust him, Paul?_

_He's like he used to be. You are never sure… But I suppose we can._

_I will be careful. Weyland was always weird._

_By the way, did you still feel Blood Moon on the planet?_

_Nope. Not a trace. It worried me back then. I feared he was on the ship._

_We survived it, Akkan. It didn't kill us._

The xenomorph grinned. _Nobody kills us._

* * *

Captain Sulcove was standing on the bridge as Weyland entered.

"Captain?"  
"Mr. Weyland?"

"Can we land on the planet again?"

"Of course we can. It's good that you're here, though. I wanted to speak to you anyway."

"Go on."

"Our fuel is getting low."

"What do you mean?"

"All this orbiting has cost us quite a lot of fuel. A direct trip back to earth is out of the question."

"What do you advice, Captain?"

"It's quite obvious. Refuel."

"Where? I don't suppose there are petrol stations out here in space?"

"Nope, but there are a few spaceports in range."

"Anyone we could reach without going into cryo?"

"There's only one. It's on the frontier, so we'd go the wrong way, but it's only a few days flight away." The captain took a quick glance at his computer. "LX-239 is the name. Mining outposts on a desert planet. Rather a sizable spaceport."

"Sounds good."

"And why do you want to land on the planet again?"

"There is some cargo there I have to pick up."  
Sulcove nodded. He was being paid to fly the ship, for nothing else, and he was quite good at that. He didn't care about firm politics, and as far as he was concerned, Weyland was happy that way.

* * *

Paul was lowering himself into the crypt. Parts of the intrinsically carved ceiling were lying on the floor. At first he had been worried about the cave-in, but now he had a better look at it, he knew it was a recent one. Blood moon couldn't have gotten at the casks this way.

He switched on his torch, and hollered up to Weyland

"I'm down!"

"Good!" came the reply.

The casks were stacked up against the wall beside the door, like he had last seen them, two hundred years ago.

But something was off. He couldn't put his finger on it. Stepping closer to the casks, something still stirred him as odd.

They weren't symmetrical.

There should be 16 on each side. Growing slightly giddy with worry, he started counting them.

Sixteen on the left side.

But only 15 on the right one.

One cask was missing. But that couldn't be.

Paul stepped up to the wall. Thick dust coated everything, except the place where the sixteenth cask should have stood.

Squatting down, he wiped his finger across the floor. Then something different caught his eye.

A small white speck in a crack in the wall.

Paul reached for it, pulling a small, white stub out of the fissure.

A cigarette-end.

"WEYLAND! COME DOWN HERE! WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM!"

* * *

The last of the casks was winched upwards, and Paul stood alone in the now empty crypt.

He had seen a small shadow of worry cross Fred's face as he saw the cigarette stub.

And that in turn worried Paul. It was almost as if Fred knew something about these casks. But now they were all stowed away on the Eleuthera, and he just had to climb out of the chamber and be done with this.

There was something he needed to check on first.

Crossing over to the door set in the stone, he pressed his palm against the wall, watching the door slide back again.

Behind it was the passage, just like he had left it.

Well, not quite.

There were large slashes in the stone wall, evidence of an anger so great to tear through rock.

At his feet was a large pile of black ash, and on top of the ash, a single bone. A single, razor-sharp bone, almost like a tooth, but without the root. It was at least as large as his arm and withered with age.

It could have been a tooth, or a claw, but somehow, it reminded Paul of a scythe. He stretched out his hand towards it.

Two things happened at once.

A wind whipped up, blowing icy-cold into his face.

Sharp talons reached around his chest, painfully digging into his skin, jerking him back.

The door slammed shut again.

_PAUL!_

The xenomorph pressed him to his chest.

_Akkan!?_

_Who else! What did you do there?_

_I don't know… What happened?_

_You know what that was, don't you?_

_Akkan, don't play games with me. _

_It was Blood Moon._

_You mean its remains?_

Akkan nodded. _Let's go._

They walked together to the rope, Akkan holding Paul in his arms. They were winched upwards.

* * *

The Eleuthera had left the planet and was now speeding through interspace towards LX-239. Weyland was sitting in his quarters, pulling his lip, bending over his computer screen.

Paul entered.

"There is something you have to see, Paul."

"Sure?"

Weyland spun the computer screen around, so Paul could see it.

"I've been doing a bit of research on Major Thompson. I couldn't find anything strange anywhere on the Firm's computer, so I hacked his bank account. See this?" He pointed towards a few entries.

"Major Thompson is the leader of the marines right? Those guys who wanted to shoot Akkan?"

Weyland nodded, and the pointed at the entries again: "See here? He's been helping his sister. He passed some money to her prior to leaving on this mission. She sent it back a few weeks later, but apparently the amount had tripled. That struck me as strange. I hacked her account as well…" Weyland closed his eyes for a second, and the picture changed. "Apparently, it was all a front. Smart, isn't she."

He selected one transaction, quite a large amount. "See what it reads here:" He read out aloud "Make sure all casks are returned to earth." He selected another option "And see the point of origin the transaction had:"

Paul wiped his eyes. "But that can't be…"

"That's what I though as well. But apparently it is."

In big black letters, it read on the screen: "Olde Wood Foundation"

"Weyland, you're keeping something from me."

"What makes you think that, Paul?"

"It's been puzzling me for some time now. But I think I found a solution right now."

"Paul, listen to me-"

"No, Fred, you listen to me right now. You knew the casks were there."

That made Weyland chuckle. "You are actually right. I knew about these casks since my mortal self was twenty-nine. The black liquid was, to an extent, used in Project Inflexus."

"You sent us on the planet, fully aware what awaited us!" Paul jumped up, angrily.

"No, I didn't. I sent you on that planet for one single reason."

"And that would be?"

"To have someone I can trust keeping an eye on these things."

"And it turned out awesome! One of them is missing. You just used me and Akkan all along."

"I did not."

Paul turned around, heading towards the door. "Fred, I'm through with you. I am. I don't care right now, what happens to you. I don't fucking care."

"Paul, wait!"

The human tried the door, but it wouldn't budge. "OPEN IT!" he roared angrily.

"Not unless you listen to me one last and final time. I've done more research-"

"I don't care, OPEN THE DOOR!"

"You would if you let me listen."

"All right."

Weyland fell silent for a second.

"They want you."

"WHAT?"

"The Olde Wood Foundation. They weren't done with you yet."

"And why now? Why two hundred years after I'm supposed to be dead?"

"It wasn't their first try. Listen, Paul, I'm on your side…"

"You don't act like you are."

"The only reason they didn't get you back then was because the Shipstern Bluff was too fast for them to follow! They were alerted to your location when the Hyena research vessel located the beacon."

"What should they want me for?"

"I don't know."

"Listen, Fred. I don't care what you're making up right now to keep me, and especially Akkan under your thumb."

The door opened. "If you think that lowly of me, dear Dr. Cromwell, then you can go and fuck your xeno bitch. I'm not doing this for fun." It was the first time Paul had seen Weylands true anger. He got up. "Take care of yourself. I'd advise you to leave this ship discreetly once we reach LX-239. Live a very quiet life, and hope the Olde Wood Foundation don't notice you in anyway." Very quietly, Weyland wished Paul goodbye, pushed him out, and closed the door on him.


	13. Chapter 13

"Wake up" Aki whispered to the sleeping form of the governor.

The human flinched, and suddenly opened his eyes. Staring into the mask-less face of the yautja shocked him for a moment, but after seconds, he reached under his pillow for his gun, no doubt.

A spear-tip aimed at his throat stopped him dead in his tracks. In the dark behind the yautja he could just make out the glint of a xenomorph's dome.

He fell back on the sheets. "Whoa, you got me there."

Aki nodded his head.

"What do you want?" the governor asked matter-of-factly.

"Your freight train."

"The train is not due for another two weeks. It's not yet-"

"I said I want the freight train now, and I will get it. With or without your consent." As if to enhance the sentence, the xenomorph hissed softly.

The governor slowly raised himself on his mattress, Aki's eyes following his every move.

"All right. We can come to an agreement." The governor got up.

Eran took a step in front of the door.

"Now." Aki hissed.

"All right, all right. I can authorize it right now if you wish..."

"Do so."

He turned to a computer screen and activated it. "You are quite a strange pairing. Shouldn't you kill each other?"

"Activate the train." Aki answered.

He pressed a few buttons, typed in a password, and shut down the computer again.

"It's done."

"Bring us to it."

"What?"

"I want to know if you're playing games with us. Take us to the train."

"Well, why shouldn't you trust me?"

Aki only growled in response.

"All right, you alien dickheads. I'll bring you there."

Still in his pyjamas, the governor, Aki and Eran behind him left his house. Aki whispered:"If you as much as squeal, I'll kill you."

"You won't. I'm unarmed. That's not honourable."

"I doubt my friend has those qualms."

That shut the governor up.

Carefully, the three made their way across the street, towards the rather industrial mining district. The machines were still moving, extracting valuable ores out of the rock.

And, floating at the end of the machinery, a hover train was tethered.

Its anti-grav engines were glowing with a blueish hue.

"Where will it take us?"

"To Spaceport One. You will have quite a lot of explaining to do there, but as far as I'm concerned, I don't care."

"Good."

They had led the governor to the steps of the train. "Would you let me go now?"

"Of course."

Aki's fist descended on the human's head, knocking him unconscious.

"We should've killed him." Remarked Eran darkly.

"He was unarmed. And besides-"

The howl of the train's engines drowned his clicks. Eran swung himself on board, albeit with less grace due to his foot. Aki followed him.

The train was composed of an engine, a small compartment for passengers, and the rest was largely compromised of ore-carrying containers.

The train howled, gathering speed. It followed a pre-set route, a route it had taken quite often before.

The engine noise had alerted the men in the saloon, who crowded out, and watched the train roar away.

Gunfire cracked through the air as they took pot-shots at the train, but the bullets glanced harmlessly off the metal shell.

A large cloud of dust followed the ever-accelerating train.

Eran retracted his spear, and Aki sheathed his machete. "We are away" he hollered.

The xenomorph nodded.

* * *

Aki and Eran had made themselves comfortable in the passenger compartment. Eran was currently, due to his size, resting on the floor whilst Aki had managed to occupy two bunks at once.

The heat inside the train was abominable. Both of them moved as little as possible. Even Eran had stopped drooling for once. There was simply no drool left in his body.

"How is your foot?" Aki felt awkward.

"It doesn't hurt too much." Eran replied, similarly awkward.

"Eran?"

"Yes?"

Aki's awkwardness level increased to maximum. "I… uhh… I don't suppose you want to come up here?"

"Up where?"

"Up here, into the bed."

"I'm fine on the floor. You keep the bed."

"I didn't intend to leave it. But..." his voice went down to a whisper "There's room for the both of us."

Eran pushed himself up "There isn-"

Aki put his arms around the xenomorph's hip and partly pulled, partly tucked the alien into the bunk bed on top of him. He was stronger than the feebly struggling Eran.

He quit trying to resist and made himself comfortable on the yautja's chest, leaning his head on the shoulder. He let out a sigh, and gripped the yautja's sides with his talons

"I'm tired."

"I am too. It's this warmth."

Softly, the xeno nibbled on one of Aki's dreadlocks. He ran his talons through them "I like that."

That got him a soft punch in the side. "Quit touching."

"But…" Eran stopped… "I thought I was yours now..."

"I shouldn't have said that back then… You know... I didn't know what had happened…"

"Aki'ru, I want to be yours forever."

"What do you mean?"

"Not just for mating. For everything. I want to belong to you till I die."

"Why should you want that? I'm not ready yet to take a life-mate…"

"Neither am I, Aki. I'm no queen. I'm a drone. I am not allowed to take a mate."

"Listen, It's not that I don't like you, Eran, far from it. But you're a xenomorph and I'm a yautja… we can't…"

"Then we will die trying."

Aki stared at the place where the xeno said his eyes were. "I really want you, Eran. Be mine forever."

The xenomorph nodded, and then placed his talon on Aki's chest.

Slightly drawing the sharp claw into the skin, he marked his mate with a small cross. Then he did the same thing to himself.

"I'm yours now..."

Aki hugged Eran tightly. "Mine…"

The train suddenly swerved and then grounded to a halt.

* * *

Eran's head was swimming. The impact had hurt.

Aki wasn't much better off. They had been hurtled through the glass windows onto the desert outside.

"What was that?" He didn't know how long they'd been out, but the train hadn't stopped without a reason.

Right in front of the smoking engine, black and scorched from the entry into the planet's atmosphere was an escape pod.

"What is that, Aki?"

Aki had sat up. There was a rather nasty looking gash on his arm, but he didn't pay it any heed.

"That an escape pod."

"Like the one we came in?"

The yautja nodded.

Eran tried to stand up. His head was hurting and his feet were wobbling, but apart from that, he felt undamaged. He turned to the train on wobbly legs, and retrieved his spear. He wasn't going to go anywhere without it.

Returning to Aki's side, they moved closer to it.

There was a hatch on its side, a round one, closed with a large screw.

Aki gripped it, and, with Eran's help, started turning it. Soon, the hatch opened, and Aki poked his head inside.

Something lashed out from the darkness inside the pod, pushing him over, and sending him toppling out.

Two large talon's reached out for him. A Xenomorph!  
Aki rolled to the side, narrowly evading a full-tail attack.

A xenomorph jumped out of the roundish hatch, and charged at him.

Eran came to his aid almost within seconds. He tackled his brethren down to the floor, but got a rather hefty kick in the stomach, which sent him, too, flying.

The warrior got up, and angrily hissed at Eran.

Aki was about to attack the other Xenomorph, when someone else emerged from the escape pod. A human.

He yelled: "STOP!"

The warrior xenomorph froze.

Eran hissed defiantly, angrily, but his understanding of the human language was large enough that he knew what stop meant.

"We come in peace!" the human raised his hand and made a strange gesture. "We mean you no harm."

Aki growled at him, prompting an aggressive hiss from the xenomorph. "Who are you?" He sized the human up. He didn't look dangerous.

"I am Paul Cromwell." He answered, and then pointing towards the Xenomorph "That is my tame xenomorph, Akkan."

Aki'ru pointed at himself "Aki'ru." Then at Eran "Eran."

The human, Paul Cromwell stared at him. Akkan the Xenomorph stared at him too. Like they had never seen a yautja before.

He looked at both of them. The human seemed odd, and so did the Xenomorph. It was a different creature to Eran. Whilst Eran's body was thin, wiry, almost even feminine, the Warrior Xenomorph was much more substantial. Eran's stance was lower, and there was tension in the way he walked. Akkan was larger, his body was broader, but his tail was significantly shorter than Eran's. All in all, the warrior looked much more aggressive and powerful.

Eran had moved to his side, even whilst crouching down lower, the Xenomorph was still as large as he was. The human almost looked like a child beside the warrior.

"Mr. Aki'ru" The human was the first to speak up. "Are you a yautja?"

Aki nodded. "I am a yautja. Don't you know my people?"

"You must forgive me. We've lived in the past most of the time."

Eran hissed and clicked at Aki: "Something is wrong with the Warrior."

"What is?"

"I don't know. He speaks with the human."

"How?"

"With their minds."

"I beg your pardon?" Paul butted into their conversation in yautjan. "What are you doing?"

Aki sheathed his machete but Eran only gripped his extended spear tighter.

"I was talking" replied Aki

"To the Xenomorph?"

He nodded.

Paul fell silent, and cast a quick, sideways glance at Akkan. He spoke up again "You guys friends?"

Aki took a moment before he spoke. "You could say so." To Eran, he clicked "You can stop being so unfriendly."

"I have my reasons." The xeno replied simply.

Paul stepped forwards and offered the yautja his hand.

Eran hissed and stepped in the way.

Akkan growled and bared his teeth, putting a talon on Paul's shoulder.

"Eran, stop being such a dick." Aki chimed in "I can handle myself, besides these guys don't look dangerous. The human is unarmed."

Aki's xeno stepped aside, allowing Paul and the Yautja to shake hands.

"What are you two doing here?" Paul asked.

"Long story, hard to explain. It's a hunt."

"What are you hunting? You don't look like it's gone well." Paul's eyes passed over the gash on his shoulder, and the heavily bandaged foot of Eran.

Aki ignored the question and asked them: "What are you two doing down here?"

"Trying to get out of the line of fire."

Akkan took a step towards Paul, and looked at him. Paul fell silent, and for a few seconds they conversed silently.

Paul looked at Aki again, slight amounts of fear in his eyes. "You are hunting Blood Moon?"

Aki's mandible twitched. "How did you find that out?"

"I didn't. Akkan did."

"How did he?"

"By looking into Eran's mind."

An aggressive hiss came out of Eran's throat. Aki turned around to him, seeing his small, black lips slide back from his fangs.

Defiance, humiliation and rage disfigured his features. Aki knew what would come next, and he doubted that Eran would hold himself back this time. His talons were curled around the spear, gripping it tightly.

"Eran!" Aki moved close to him, not caring right now what the human saw and thought of him. Eran might be faster and more agile than the warrior, but the warrior xenomorph seemed a seasoned fighter. Eran would get hurt. He couldn't allow that to happen right now. He needed Eran at his side.

Putting his large arms around the xenomorph's sides, he pulled him close to his chest.

Involuntarily, he lowered his spear, and ultimately let go, the long metal object clattering to the ground.

"I'm here..." Aki clicked into his ear.

"He was in my mind. It was like the other one…" Eran shivered.

Aki turned towards Paul. "Tell your tame Xeno that if he ever touches Eran again, or so much as brushes his mind, I will take his head as a trophy."

Eran pushed against Aki's broad chest. "I'm okay" he clicked.

"You better be. They aren't our enemies."

"I know." Eran whispered.

"How? You wanted to kill Akkan a few seconds ago."

"He woke things." Eran said simply.

"But how do you know?"

"It was a two-way street. I saw into his mind as well as he saw into mine. They are like us."

"What?"

"They are mates. And they met Blood Moon before."


	14. Chapter 14

Aki turned around, facing Paul. "You met Blood Moon before?"

A shadow crossed Paul's face. "We have."

"Well? What is it?"

"Ask Eran. He knows. Every Xenomorph knows."

"Eran doesn't know. He says it seems familiar, but he doesn't remember anything definite about it."

"Then he's lying. But that's no matter. Blood Moon is Death."

"Yeah, but what sort of thing is it?"

"To tell you bluntly, I don't know."

"Well, you defeated it, didn't you?"

Paul sighed, and Akkan stepped closer to him. "We didn't. We couldn't. No one can."

"Watch us." Aki clicked his mandible. Then, turning to Eran, he used his native language again. "Let's go."

He turned and walked towards the train, boarding it.

Eran jump-hobbled on too.

"Hey, Aki'ru? Can we come too? Where are you heading?"

"We are heading to Spaceport One, and then back to our ship, to kill Blood Moon."  
Paul walked over to the train. "Can we use your transport till the next settlement?"

Aki growled in consent, and got on, Eran following him at his heels.

* * *

The train got moving again.

Aki was sitting at a table in the engine compartment, stroking Eran's back, who had, snake-like, wound in and around him.

Presently, the head was lying on the flat table, and his back was over Aki's knees. The tail was curled around the yautja's chest, the tip ever so often playing with his dreadlocks. Akkan and Paul had taken the other corner of the passenger compartment, the Xenomorph on his back, and the human hugging him.

Eran's talon moved up and carefully stroked the yautja's arm. "How are you feeling, Aki?"

"Why are you asking me that? Nothing's wrong."

"Good..."

The yautja's hands were softly stroking Eran's back. His exoskeleton was hard, but still he said he could feel the soft touch.

Aki didn't know how they would work out. In yautjan culture, warriors with many trophies, blooded warriors were allowed to court the females, who would decide then who was the most worthy mate to breed with.

It was different here, though. Eran was no female, and he was no yautja. Besides, mating for other reasons than for breeding was frowned upon. It would distract one from the other tasks at hand. And yet here he was, stroking his mate. His own.

Eran had made himself his, forever. He wasn't sure if he had meant it like that, but it was a strange idea of a relationship. For one to own the other…

And then Aki knew the reason for Eran's behaviour. For his whole life, the xenomorph had been at the bottom of the pile, so to speak. He was a working drone, and he was different, that's why he was treated so badly. He had been abused, raped by that praetorian, till the point his mind was broken so much that he had truly lost it.

He had seen the animal within Eran. The xenomorph. The killing machine. Right there, it was within him, and he could not control it. There were, so to speak, two Erans. The one he knew and was stroking right now, and the monster that he had glimpsed every now and then.

And now Eran, who had never been given any affection, had found him. He, who wasn't even sure of himself had become a beacon of hope for the xenomorph. And it was only natural for him to surrender himself completely over to Aki. To become his.

Protection and affection in exchange for his freedom. It was weird that he would do that, weird to the proud warrior that Aki'ru was

But he was okay with it. After all, which other Yautja could say a Xenomorph made itself his pet? He rubbed Eran's back, and the Xeno purred in happiness. "Eran?"

"Yes, Aki?"

"Massage my belly"

Growling with happiness, he started to massage the yautja's belly with his talons.

* * *

Paul was lying on Akkan's chest. From the moment they had boarded the train the xeno had been overly protective of him.

_Akkan, what's wrong?_

_Nothing is. The Yautja is just weird. All of this is weird. I want to go somewhere quiet with you. _

_You always want to fuck me, Akkan. I just know you too well._

The xeno's reply was a tight hug.

_What do you think of Aki'ru, Akkan?_

_His mind is guarded by a will of steel. I cannot read him like I can with humans. But he is strong. _

_Benevolent or Malevolent?_

_I would say indifferent. We are not his main concern. Blood Moon and the other xeno are._

_What do you think about him? Eran?_

_Dangerous. _

_Well, you are dangerous too, Love._

_I am, but I have control. _There was a hint of pride in his voice.

_And he?_

_He's been through a lot. I don't know why he is as he is. He's not a normal xeno. He is intelligent. Like me._

_He's been in a research project?_

_No, he's lived all of his life in a hive._

_How come his intelligence then? _Paul tickled Akkan's chin.

_Stop it! You're the scientist, you figure it out._

_Anything else with him?_

_I was in his mind. He has seen Blood Moon. He's not so different to you, come to think of it. He's been a praetorian's plaything most of his life._

_You mean rape?_

_I mean rape._

_Oh my god. _

_That's where his anger and hate are from. I only touched it, and did you watch his reaction?_

_The yautja kinda hugged him._

_Yep, they are an item._

_Where did you learn that saying?_

_I read. _Proudly, Akkan snogged Paul.

_So that's where the saliva on the computer comes from._

_Yeah, well. _

_You are so cute. _

_Am I?_

_For a killer alien you are cute._

_I have a question, Paul. Who do you think looks better, me or him?_

Paul playfully kicked Akkan. _What's that supposed to mean?_

_Well him or me?_

_You, of course. You're a true warrior… My warrior._

They kissed, Xeno saliva running over Paul's mouth.

_I really would like to get all private with you right now, Paul, my love. I would strip you naked and…_

_You're getting an erection. Stop thinking about such things, Akkan. I doubt our new-found friend would be happy._

_I don't care about him. By the way he looks at that Eran creature, he'd love to have him right here and now._

_I'm not going to undress in front of that guy. And we're not going to do anything private right here..._

_But I want to maaate. _Akkan's voice had an urgent tone to it.

_We can mate as soon as it's dark and we're private._

The xeno hugged his human mate. _I was just making fun of you, silly._

_Feels different._

_Oops, I forgot you're lying on me._

_Hehe, I really love you, my Akkan._

_I love you too, Paul._

* * *

"Eran, you can stop right now."

The xenomorph had his head on Aki's belly, playing with the soft skin with his inner maw.

"Why?"

"Because well... I suppose you can feel it anyway…"

"I want to take it…"  
"After what happened last time? No way."

"Can I at least have it in my mouth?"

"Maybe later. We're not alone."

"We can go up to the engine."

"All right. Go ahead."

Eran unwound himself, getting up and hobbling away.

In English, Aki said: "I'm just going to check on our progress. Should be back soon."

"All right." Paul said.

He left the passenger compartment.

In the engine car, it was slightly colder.

Eran was sitting on the floor, gripping the yautja's hips with his hands. Aki wasn't embarrassed anymore. He helped his mate open the loincloth and wasn't feeling the least of guilt, as the xeno's inner maw slid over his cock.

He breathed out, stroking the domed head, and hearing the slurping noises Eran made.

After a few moments, he withdrew. "Lie down."

Puzzled, Eran tried to reach for the cock again, but was pushed away.

"I said lie down."

Obediently, he lay down on his back. Aki bent down, stroking the xenomorph's member. The creature breathed hard and squeaked softly.

He had never done this before. It was considered a dishonour to behave like a breeder. He had once had the pleasure of having made close acquaintance with a bad blood, who had similar interest to him. He had been sucked off, but this was the first time he actually sucked.

He spread his mandibles apart by a bit, opened his mouth, and pushed down on the large, black member.

It filled his maw, and he moved his head up and down, coaxing cries of pleasure from his mate. He felt the xeno's tail curl around his belly in pleasure, and the tip caressing his broad chest. He withdrew, the dick all slobbery with his own saliva.

"You enjoying yourself."

The xeno nodded, and tried to push Aki's face back onto his cock.

"No." he got up.

The xeno whimpered, his cock erect. He wanted to come, Aki could see it.

"You are mine forever, Eran. Mine."

Eran nodded.

Aki spread his legs apart, and sat down on his lover's dick.

He felt the large xeno member enter his rear, feeling himself being filled up by it. Eran shrieked with joy, and his talon flew to Aki's member, passing along it quickly, rubbing it.

Aki moaned, as he slowly moved up and down, feeling the large member inside him swell. He was being fucked, and he didn't care one bit.

They moved in unison, Eran jerking Aki's dick, and fucking him.

It wasn't long, until Aki felt the pressure within his body, the pressure to unleash his seed.

They came together with a roar, Aki splattering the xeno's body and head, and Eran filling Aki with waves and waves of his own cum.

Breathing heavily, they stayed like that for a second, then Aki got off. Pushing his dick into the xeno's mouth, he ordered him to suck it clean, which the xeno did.

"You're mine now, mine forever."

* * *

"Governor, this was down to you."

The governor, wearing a violet suit and matching tie strode through the saloon.

"Oh, was it?" Drawing his .55 Magnum, he blew the man's brains out against the wall. "Anyone else his opinion?"

"No, sir. I believe the guards in front of your house were-"

"They are dead."

"Did they get killed?"

"No, I shot them this morning for their incompetence. This can't really be, can it? You let two killer aliens waltz in here, take the freight train, even take me as hostage, and let them waltz out again? Am I really surrounded by drinking idiots?"

"No, sir –"

"WELL YOU BEHAVE LIKE DRUNKEN IDIOTS!"

He sat down, breathing hard "Listen, I don't really want to kill any more, but… "He stared hard at the wall. "If I give an order, I give it for a reason. The order was "Kill the Aliens." Not "Let the Aliens into town". I give my orders with foresight. AND YOU IDIOTS MESS EVERYTHING UP!"

"Sir, I'm sorry, -"

"So you are sorry, right now. WELL IT'S TOO LATE TO BE SORRY."

"Sir, I-"

"I know what you want to say. And you'd better be right about this. You'd better do this properly, because if you won't, remember, I have your family."

"You can't-"

"I can shoot them now, if I wanted. Right here, right now. UNLESS YOU BRING ME THAT TRAIN BACK. I WANT THE TRAIN, I WANT THE ORES, AND I WANT THE ALIENS DEAD. I DON'T CARE HOW, I DON'T CARE IF YOUR MEN DIE, AND I WANT THEM DEAD!" He rammed his biro into the table's wood so hard that the plastic shell splintered.

"And now…" he breathed hard "I've broken my pen. What a horrible day this is. NOW GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"


	15. Chapter 15

On the second day of their voyage, Paul managed to get the Air conditioning in the passenger compartment working. It was a refreshing moment even for the yautja who enjoyed warmth. Aki had broken a locker that contained water and had distributed it evenly amongst the four of them, which ended up with Paul and him drinking all of it, the xenos refusing and giving it to their respective mate.

The barriers between them were breaking up. Paul and Aki acting as translators for the two xenomorphs, who, interestingly had no means of communication. Sure, Eran could speak yautjan, but Akkan didn't understand a word of it.

Akkan in turn hadn't tried to communicate with Eran mentally again. Whilst not being afraid of Aki'ru, he didn't doubt that if he would try and break into Eran's mind again, the large yautja would be very angry.

Besides, he didn't want to see what was in there. In a way, Akkan, who was rather carefree and mostly fearless, was afraid of what he'd seen. In the moment he'd been inside Eran's mind, a way of communication only xenomorphs could share, he'd seen so much suffering and pain, an all the rage and fear that rested like a burning ball within Eran's subconsciouness, he, frankly didn't want to share it again. He had been through much, he had survived Dr. Schulz' torture, and the years of sedation, and all the fights he and Paul had been through, and it only had hardened him, to a point where he could and would do anything to protect Paul and himself, even if it were to face the Blood Moon again.  
Eran had survived too, but differently. He was a different creature altogether. Eran had been broken by his experiences. Akkan didn't know if he had been in Eran's position, if he would have held up to it.

Aki and Paul had commenced sharing experiences in English, Aki being extremely interested about Blood Moon. Eran never left his side, gripping that spear with all his might.

He, Akkan, was staring out of the window at the dunes flying past them.

Every now and then, he saw a flash in the valleys between them.

_Paul?_

_Yeah, Akkan?  
Get that friend of yours over here, I think there's something he should see._

"Aki'ru? Akkan wants to show you something.

Aki got up, and walked to the window. Akkan pointed at the flash he saw every now and then.

"What's that?" Paul asked.

Eran made clicking noises, and Aki translated: "It's the humans. They've been following us."

"Humans? Is there a settlement around here?"

"Yep. We made quite a negative impact there. I suppose they're coming to re-take the train and kill us." Aki said. "I'd advise you to leave this train, else you'll probably get muddled up, and I suppose these people can't tell the two xenos apart."

"That's out of the question. The desert is no place for us."

"Then I suppose you go and hide."

_I will protect you, Paul. I don't care about humans._

_I know, Akkan love._

"I won't hide from them now."

"Can you fight?" the yautja made it sound like being able to fight was the same as being able to drink.

"Well, if I had a gun, maybe. I don't suppose I'm any good with a knife."

"Can you drive this train?"

"I suppose I could."

"Go lock yourself in the engine car. Drive the train."

"What about Akkan?"

Aki looked at the Warrior indifferently. "I suppose he could help if he wanted to."

Akkan nodded his head.

"It's best if he just stays out of our way."

The yautja drew the machete and Eran extended his spear.

* * *

The human vehicles had come to the side of the train. Three men jumped up onto the ore-carrying cars, making their way over the roof.

Aki was standing shielded from sight behind a large locker. Akkan was holding onto the roof, over the door, and Eran, due to his weak foot, was hiding under the table.

"Aki, take care of yourself." Eran clicked, and Aki spluttered a bit.

"What are you now, my mother? I'm a hunter. You'd rather take care of yourself with that foot. And I meant it."

Voices came towards the closed door.

Aki nodded to Akkan.

Akkan nodded back.

They were ready.

The door opened, and a man jumped inside, gun at the ready. He was young, as a yautja he would not have yet seen first blood.

Slowly, he passed through the rows of seats.

He approached the cabinet behind which Aki was hiding, and opened it, the door shielding the yautja from view.

"They're not here." He shouted.

Four other men came in, on alert, guns still ready. "They have to be. They didn't ditch the train, they couldn't have."

"There's no-one here."

"All right, get into the engine car, and turn the train around. We need it back, else the governor will behave really horrid."

They advanced on the door.

Behind them, like a silent wraith, Akkan moved down from the ceiling. He was a warrior, a seasoned fighter, Aki had guessed right.

The xeno advance towards the men, with controlled, purposeful moves. Aki prepared to strike, the machete in his hand.

Akkan raised his tail, and struck, running the first of the five through.

The yautja charged out of his hiding, swinging the machete ruthlessly at one of the older men. Blood spurted out of the body, whilst Akkan had already targeted the next one, dispatching it with a swift and sure head bite.

The third one was Aki's, with a swing of his right fist, he crushed the man's skull, sending blood and brains flying everywhere.

All of this had happened in a very short time, but it was long enough for the youngest of the five to react, bringing himself out of striking distance with a small jump, and pulling his weapon up. Aki wanted to dive for cover to avoid the bullets, but Eran was faster. In one fluid moment, the xenomorph had exploded out from under the table, and with a swipe of his tail, pulled the human from his feet. Before he hit the metal floor, however, Eran had already dived under him, impaling him on the spear. In the fraction of a second it was all over, and a rather proud Eran was standing in the room, a human impaled on his spear.

"Well done." Aki rumbled.

Eran bowed his head.

Akkan hissed and pointed at the door. Shouts could be heard. There were more.

Five were dead, but this time, their comrades would not be as foolish.

Gunfire rapped through the air, most bullets glancing off the metal, but one whizzed perilously close past Aki's head.

All three ducked down, avoiding the bullets flying over their heads.

It had to be three, maybe four gunmen standing on the other car.

"Akkan, tell Paul to swerve!"

Akkan nodded, and after a short delay, the train threw itself to one side, racing around a bend. The gunfire stopped, and they jumped out of the passenger car onto the coupling that linked the cars together.

The gunmen were on top of the other car, trying to regain their balance.

Another violent swerve made even Aki stumble, but he regained his balance quickly. Eran had already, foot or no foot, vaulted over the short railing, scaling the other car with ease. Both Akkan and Aki'ru followed him, albeit with lesser speed and grace.

Akkan was a good fighter, using his natural weaponry with strength and agility, but it was nothing compared to Eran.

His lips contorted into a violent snarl, the xenomorph wove back and forth between the humans, sowing death wherever he went, with a speed that was unmatched.

Aki was no slouch either, throwing his machete and dispatching a man with the brute strength even Akkan did not possess.

In a very short time, the massacre was over.

Aki's hands were stained with blood, and Eran was covered with it. He was certainly a volatile fighter.

Somehow, to see him like this made Aki proud. He was a good warrior.

He put his hand on the xeno's shoulder. "Well fought." He clicked.

Eran's blood-stained talon touched Aki's shoulder too. A hunter's greeting. "Well fought" he replied, as it was yautjan custom.

* * *

Akkan wouldn't let Paul into the passenger car anymore.

_You don't have to see all the bloodshed._

_Who many people were there?_

_At least fifteen._

_All dead?_

_Yep. Eran is cleaning up the rests._

_He's-_

_Yep, he's eating them. Apparently he is hungry._

_Well you can join him, Akkan, if you mind._

_No, I'm not hungry. At least not for human._

_Aki'ru has apparently kicked the hornet's nest. _

_Seems like it. _

_Well, there's nothing we can do. How far until spaceport one?_

_About a day._

_We should get off right now._

_Why?_

_Because Spaceport One isn't for us. We need to return to the wild. _Akkan hissed.

_I've been thinking… _Paul scratched his ear.

_What? You're planning to help these two die?_

_No, not that. What Weyland said to me. Maybe he didn't lie. _

_What do you mean?_

_Maybe the Olde Wood Foundation really still exists. Maybe they are still after us, after all this time._

_For what? _Akkan scoffed

_To create a weapon, maybe. I do not know. Weyland told me that these genetic experimenting on xenomorphs stopped a few decades after we went to sleep. Maybe someone wants to recreate something like project Inflexus._

_We killed Schulz, remember? He was the head of the foundation._

_I asked Weyland if any descendants were still alive, and he told me the last one had died a few months back. Why didn't they get after him? After all, if we'd died two hundred years ago, there wouldn't be any remains on the planet left. Almost no DNA to use. The last of the descendants was still alive a few months ago, and if Weyland knew, the Olde Wood Foundation knew too. It doesn't make sense._

_Maybe it was really just one of Weyland's lies..._

_But what happens if it wasn't? What happens when they find us?_

_They won't. I'll defend you. _

Paul was restless now. He walked up and down along the length of the engine room.

_I have to check on something. Once we are in Spaceport One._

_Why won't you leave it, Paul? Let's just go somewhere, and just get away. The wilderness, you and me. That was all we needed, back then. That was all we wanted. _

_I don't want to live in fear for the rest of my life. I don't want to hide in caves, fearing the sun, because it could reveal us to our hunters. And if they are there, they will haunt us. And you can only evade them for so long._

Paul slammed his hand on the wall

_Paul, if it really is that important to you, I will help you. I am with you forever. For good or for bad. _The xenomorph embraced the human, hugging him tightly. _I will go to the ends of any planet with you. Never forget that._

* * *

Night had fallen. The last night on the train.

The lights of spaceport one were already twinkling in the distance, and Paul and Akkan were sound asleep in the engine car.

Aki and Eran were sitting on top of the passenger car, staring at the night sky. The wind rushed past them, making Aki'ru's dreadlocks flap, and tugged at the drool coming from Eran's mouth, ever so often carrying small specks away into the dark.

The stared at the large moon, white and dead in the sky.

"Do you think we will survive it, Eran?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"You have any idea how to kill the blood moon?"

"No. But I will have one once we see him."

"I suppose that's a bit risky... "

"Trust –"

Eran broke off. Aki could hear him breathe in sharply.

"Aki! The Moon!"

The yautja stared at the moon.

It had changed its colour. Instead of a pure white, it had turned a yellow-greenish colour.

The colour of yautjan blood.

The Blood Moon.


	16. Chapter 16

Eran and Akkan alike stared at the Blood Moon. The xenomorphs saw it as yellowish-pale, and for Paul it was red.

"What does that mean?"

_It's here._

"Akkan says its here."

"You mean the Blood Moon?"

Paul nodded.

"They must've taken down the ship."

"How can it color the moon? It's not like it's god.."

"It's not coloring the moon, Aki. It's playing with our minds. You know that. It spoke to you in your head."

"How'd you know?"

"Because it has a connection to you and Eran. It met you before, and that connects you with it. That gives it power over you. That's how Blood Moon works. The only question that remains is why is it affecting Akkan and me."

_Because we met Blood Moon before._

_That can't be, Akkan, and you know it. It's a different creature._

_Maybe it isn't. Maybe it is the same. It's Blood Moon, after all._

_It is a creature of blood and flesh, love. It can't work magic. It may be psychic, just as you are but-_

_I fought it, Paul. I was lucky to escape with my life. It is not of this world._

"Paul, you know more than you tell us."

"All right. I know two things about that thing."

"And that would be?"

"For one, it needs strange black goo to survive. And secondly, that thing is psychic. It can enter your minds."

Aki fell silent again, the four of them staring at the strange moon. Long minutes passed before Paul spoke up again. "What gives you the idea you can kill it?"

"It's funny that you mention that, Paul. It's not me that knows how to kill it." He pointed at Eran. "He knows, somehow."

"Why do you trust him with that? He is, as far as I understood, your sworn enemy."

"He saved my life." Aki replied simply. "He knew about Blood Moon, and saved me."

"What does he know?"

"I don't think he does really know that. But he told me that he will, when the time comes."

"Are you sure?" Paul asked.

Aki fell into his native language "Eran?"

"Yes?" The xeno turned towards him.

"Are you sure you know how to kill Blood Moon?"

"When the time comes, yes."

"He says he is sure, Paul."

"If Blood Moon is on this planet, then we're all involved. I offer you mine and Akkan's help. We met it before. We could help you."

The yautja was unmoved. "What do you want for this generous offer?"

"We need your help with a certain problem of ours."

"And why should we help?"

"Because, if you want to tackle Blood Moon, you are going to need our help."

"For what reasons?"

"These casks filled with black goo. They are here. At least for a few days."

"What do you mean?"

"They are on board the Eleuthera, a ship that has landed here yesterday to gather supplies. The black goo is on board."

"Why do you know that?"

"Because," Paul grimaced "I escaped that ship with the escape capsule you found me in."

"What happens if Blood Moon gains access to these things?"

Paul's face darkened "I do not know. But whatever happens, I doubt we would surivive it."

They stared at the Blood Moon again. Aki translated the conversation into yautjan, so Eran could understand.

For a long time, they fell silent, the stillness only disturbed by the air whizzing past them.

"Aki?"

"Eran?"

"We could use all the help we can get."

"This is my hunt." The yautja answered.

"Never let pride get in the way of victory" Eran retorted

"You do not speak like a Yautja."

"I am no Yautja. Shared honour still is honour."

"A honourable death is-"

"A honourable death will not bring your comrades back." The xenomorph snapped.

"Why is my survival so important to you, Eran?"

"I thought were were through that? You are my mate." His voice cracked "My only…"

"Oh, Eran…"

He felt the thin arms of the Xeno reach around him, and the creature pressed itself against him. Putting his arms around the xeno, he hugged back. No, he would not leave Eran. He'd lost too much already. He'd seen too much death. There had to be another way to spend the life they had on earth.

Turning to Paul, he opened his mandibles slightly "Agreed."

* * *

Weyland had left the Eleuthera in the dock. His coat flapping out behind him, he strode along the narrow passages of Spaceport One. He needed to find Paul and Akkan, before it was too late. Before someone found them before him.

Rushing through the docked ships, he scouted around for a police station.

Quickly finding one, he entered through the grimy doors, flapping his ID Card open and holding it against the window for the guard to see. It was forged, but it was a very good fake.

"Frederic Svensson of the Interplanetary Bureau of Investigation. I'm here to talk to your boss."

The guard grunted, and opened the door. "Third floor."

Weyland marched through, heading up the stairs to the chief constable's room.

"Frederic Svenson, IBI. I'd like to speak to the man in charge of the Amos investigation."

The Chief Constable, M. Digglem, swiveled around in his chair. "The Amos investigation, you say? I conducted it myself. But everything concerning it is in the report I submitted. What are you here for?"

"The Ship, Mr. Digglem. I want to see Amos' ship."

"What on earth for?"

"I need to verify an idea of mine."

"And that would be?"

He needed to tread carefully here. The chief constable did not posess as much information as he did and was potentially a weak spot to his plan, yet he needed the local police to cooperate with him.

"It's an idea of mine. I put the ship's serial number into the central registry and something funny came up."

"We did that too. It was forged, just as we had expected."

"Did the ship have a name?"

"All right, Mr. Svensson, I'm tired of playing the answering machine for you. Let's go and have a look at the ship itself. It's down in our own shipyard."

The chief constable raised himself, and walked towards the stairs, Weyland in tow.

They left the police station, and Digglem ID'ed himself, getting the police shipyard to open. He and Weyland passed through rows of police ships, other seized vessels, and right at the back was a large, hulking vessel under a tarpaulin.

Digglem pulled the tarp down, to reveal an agegin, metal hull.

Across the bow, in large, faded lettering, a name was sprawled. It was as ancient as the ship itself.

"SHIPSTERN BLUFF" it read.

"Is it unlocked?"

Digglem pressed his watch "It is now."

They stepped inside, through the low hatch.

"So this was the ship Amos owned?"

"Yep. He was found dead in that chair." The constable pointed towards an old swivel chair.

"And you search everything?"

"Yep, Everything. Right as the ship was brought down."

"Well, now to that idea of mine." Weyland bent under the table and pulled one leg slightly out from under it. A switch was revealed, and he pressed it.

From the floor, a handle emerged. He pulled it, and a man-sized compartment in the wall opend.

"How did you find that?"

"Experience.." Weyland grinned, and turned towards the black void.

He shone his torch inside it.

"What in god's name is that?"

The compartment had slid back to reveal the shattered remains of a roundish cask.

_At least I found cask number 32. _Weyland thought.

"That, my dear constable, is evidence. Get your team into this ship, and take that as evidence. I will meet you once you are done in your office.

He left the Ship.

This was not good.

* * *

It was only natural for the xenomorphs to scuttle along dark tunnels, and apparently the stench surrounding spaceport one's sewers were not affecting them.

Eran had let Akkan lead the way in the search of a hiding place from which they would operate.

Usually, towns this size posessed sewage recylcling facilties, but apparently, Spaceport One just dumped its junk into a large river, it both being the town's life-blood and toilet flush.

Aki was trying his best to ignore the smell of human droppings flowing past him in a sickly-brown stream.

Paul had pulled his shirt up over his nose in an attempt to mitigate the stench, but was still pulling a face.

Akkan was heading along, expertly keeping his balance on the small ledge leading along the tunnel, but from the way he hesitated at each junction, he didn't know the way any better than Aki did.

"Paul, tell Akkan to stop"

The four gathered together, as far as it was possible due to space restriction.

"What is it, Aki?"

"We aren't getting anywhere."

"And what do you inted to do?" Paul replied in a rather toxic voice. The stress was finally getting to the human. He had held up so far, but apparently the carnage in the passanger cab, their close escape from the city police, and their voyage through the sewers were getting to him. He was becoming snappy and short-tempered.

"I'm going to have a look around." Aki growled.

"How is that going to help us? We are literally in the shit."

"I'm going to leave these rotten sewers and check out street level."

He turned, and started to scale a ladder. Halfway up he heard the hectic clicks of Eran "What are you up to?"

"Just a quick check. Keep to Paul" Aki clicked back rather gruffly. He immediately regretted his tone. "Look, Eran. I'm sorry. Just all of the creeping…"

"I keep to Paul. And you don't be gone for too long. Take care." Eran managed to put so much affection in those words that they struck Aki's heart, and made it weep a bit.

"You too." He tried to return the favour but failed.

The xenomorph grinned and nodded to him.

He pushed the manhole-cover outwards, and squeezed himself through the opening onto the street level.

The sewer had spat him out in a rather dark ally-way. The sky was still dark, and he, after marking the street on his navigation computer, proceeded towards the skydocks. They were illuminated by floodlights, large, bulbous freight-ships being loaded by even larger loading cranes, and beside them, the tow ships were docked.

The closer he came to the skydock, the more people crowded on the streets. So far, he had only seen and smelt humans, or what supposedly could have been the so-called androids, machines that looked human.

Now. Where to gather information. Information about what? He needed the location of his old ship. Stopping a human hurrying his way, he tried his best disarming english, which obviously didn't work very well with his physique and deep voice.

"Where is the yautja ship?"

"I don't know. Try Port authority, they should know."

"Where is Port Authority."

"Just on the border of the dock area. Small building. You can't miss it, there's a sign. I really have to go on now. Good luck."

The man hurried away, and left the yautja in the street.

He trekked on, towards the skydock, keeping two eyes out for the Port Authority. Just like the man had described it, it was a small, crouched, dirty building with a glowing sign: "Spaceport One Port Authority."

Aki'ru stomped towards it, and entered it, not without ducking down. Human doors and buildings were not made to accompany his large frame.

A sour-looking clerk sat at the desk, using an ancient-looking computer.

"Who are you? State your registration number, ship number, the number of the berth you illegally landed in, and the reason why you couldn't communicate yourself from space." The clerk droned without looking up.

"I'm looking for my ship."

"And that would be which one?"

"It is a yautjan ship."

For the first time the clerk looked up, and a slight expression of shock raced over his drab features. "Is she yours?"

Aki'ru shook his head. "I was passenger."

"She's berthed in recovery bay five. Follow me."

The clerk got up, and led the way out into the spaceport.


	17. Chapter 17

A huge freighter blasted off.

Aki'ru felt the wind ruffle his dreadlocks, the deafening hiss of the large engine, and it swooped away into the sky.

The clerk had led him about two-hundred metres away from the port authority building, into a small dock.

And in the middle of the dock lay his ship.

Like a smashed toy it had come to rest on one side, a large gash was in the other one, ripping through the hull.

He was no mechanic, far from it, but he knew that this ship would never fly again.

"I'll leave you be." The clerk muttered and turned around.

Aki'ru toyed with the hilt of his knife. He doubted Blood Moon was around. He even doubted the xenomorphs inside were still alive, but it was better to be careful.

Taking a few steps towards the looming hull, Aki only now realised how big she really was.

His scaled hand passed over the steel hull.

None of this should have happened. He would be back on Yautja Prime, alive and well.

But he wouldn't have met Eran then.

"I suppose you are the cleverest of the lot." A voice broke him out of his ponderings, and he jumped around, knife at the ready.

A man in a brown trenchcoat emerged from behind the ship "Aki'ru, I suppose?"

Aki'ru didn't answer, he only nodded his head.

"They brought this down a few days ago. Something was inside it. Apparently also a few xenomorphs but you knew that, didn't you?"

"Who are you?" Aki grunted back at the human. He smelled strange...

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd ask that. My name is Frederic Bishop Weyland."

Aki didn't recognize the name from anywhere. "How do you know my name?"

"That was quite easy. You see, I interfaced with the computer. I did a body count, and identified those I found, and you weren't amongst them. There was an escape capsule missing, so I put two and two together…"

"What do you want with my ship? Why are you here for?"

"Ah, another good question. I, so to say, followed the rabbit into the hole, but fell in deeper than I wanted to."

Aki grunted "And that means?"

"What was on that ship?"

"None of your business."

"Correct."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because I already know what was on your ship."

"How?"

"You have surveillance on your ship, didn't you know?"

Aki growled "Who are you?"

"I am Frederic Weyland."

"Yes, I know that" he growled impatiently. "But what are you doing with my ship's computer?"

"I interfaced it. Your ship is the last link in a chain of death. First the Shipstern Bluff. Then the Andrea Doria. Then the Celuta II..."

"That was the name of the ship we came to aid. Everyone inside-"

"Was dead. Yes. And now it should have been your turn, except that something went wrong. You are alive. Why?"

"What are you after, Mr. Weyland?"

"Oh! So there was something on the ship!"

Aki growled. "There was. So what?"

"I need to know what it was, Aki."

"You don't."

"Because you swore to hunt it, right?"

Aki growled loudly. "Get out of my way, human."

Weyland grinned and flexed his shoulders. "I'd rather not."

Aki moved in. The human was no match for him. He was spindly and at least a head smaller than him. He would teach him a lesson, not kill him. The first swing went towards the ribcage and struck, sending the human toppling backwards. Aki aimed the seconds swing against his opponent's head, to knock him out for some time.

It was only then when he suddenly felt the man catch, yes, literally catch his fist in mid-air, and push it to the side.

He received a crushing blow to the side of his skull, making stars dance in front of his eyes.

In another split-second he landed hard on the floor.

Weyland stood beside him, still grinning. He shouldn't be grinning after the blow he had received.

"Well, Aki, Tired already? Or do I need to keep punching you?"

With a roar, the yautja accepted the challenge.

* * *

Eran creeped Paul out.

The xenomorph was behind him, and even though he knew that Eran was actually as harmless as Akkan, he could still not resist looking over his shoulder every now and then. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he could not communicate with the xeno.

Perhaps it was due to the fact that Eran was still a xenomorph. Not like Akkan, almost feeling human, but truly xenomorph.

Either way, he stayed behind the two, gripping his metal spear tightly, as if his life depended on it.

_Are you all right, love? _Akkan asked him.

_I don't know..._

_It's Eran, right?_

_I suppose it is. I am not sure how far to trust him and the yautja._

_They aren't interested in us, Paul. I don't suppose they even know who you are. They hunt…_

_I don't mean that they would intentionally sell us out or something like that. So far, they weren't interested in us, yes. But they could accidentally reveal us to our enemies._

Akkan turned around and patted Paul on his shoulder. _I can try and read Eran's mind again softly, if you wish, love._

Paul fell silent for a moment. The yautja could have shared important information with the xenomorph, and Akkan could possibly reveal it to them. But on the other hand he could also ignite the hatred and rage sleeping within Eran, with possibly fatal results.

_No. Leave his mind alone. I can't risk that._

_He is no match for me. _Akkan scoffed.

_I am not so sure about that anymore._

_What do you mean? I'm much stronger than him._

_You are, but somehow, he's evolving. You noticed how fast his foot has healed? It's impossible. Even for a xenomorph. You heal way faster, that's true, but not that fast. And you said he was very agile yourself._

Akkan slapped his tail against the wall. _He is fast but inexperienced. But he's learning._

They lapsed into a silence again, that was only broken by the clicks of the xenomorphs claws on the hard floor and the gurgle of the sewage beside them.

_Akkan?_

_Yes, Paul?_

_I can't go on much further. This is really getting to me._

_I am sorry, love. _The xenomorph turned around and expertly scooped up Paul in his arms. _I will carry you till we are safe._

_Don't you ever sleep?_

_I do, but not the way you do. You close your eyes and disappear for hours. I sleep differently._

This sparked Paul's interest. He had always though the xenomorph slept like he did, because Akkan enjoyed it so much, lying in bed with him. But apparently it was different. _Go on._

_Well, it's hard to describe. Part of me can sleep while I walk. The other part sleeps while I lie down. That way I am always awake, sort-of at least. I can protect you even whilst you think I am asleep. _

_Oh, okay. That explains quite a lot of things._

_What do you mean? _Puzzled, Akkan stroked Paul's back.

_You move around at night._

_You can't have noticed that!_

_I have. You sometimes wake me up at night._

_I don't even make a noise when I get up! _

_Silly, it's not the noise that wakes me up. It's the fact that you move me around all the time._

_Shut up! _Akkan playfully slapped Paul.

* * *

This time, the yautja was truly beaten. The Weyland human had been too much to chew. His joints ached, and the place where his iron kicks and punches had landed throbbed uncomfortably. They both were dirty, and their clothes damaged, but Weyland had kept the upper hand throughout the fight.

He now offered Aki his hand. "Get up!"

Aki took it and pulled himself to his feet. Weyland was busy dusting off his coat.

"I am beaten." Aki muttered.

"You are." Weyland agreed "And now you can tell me what you are after."

"Blood Moon."

"Well that's an interesting turn of events" Weyland remarked sarcastically.

"We hunt Blood moon. It is somewhere here on this world."

"We?"

"Me and my hunting partner."

"Who might that be? All the yautja on that ship are dead."

"He's not a yautja. Does it matter?"

"Everything matters right now, Aki. Because Blood Moon is the ace up someone's sleeve."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that this" he spread his arms, pointing at the ship and the world beyond "none of this has happened by accident."

"I don't get it."

"Someone created Blood Moon. How and when I don't know. But I have a very good idea how. And that someone made sure that it reached this planet without anyone knowing it was here."

"You mean that the ship we came to rescue already had Blood Moon on it?"

"Tell me, Aki. Do you know if your computer systems interfaced with that of the salvage vessel?"

"No, we didn't. The Captain tried hailing them, and they didn't answer, so we cut our way inside. We couldn't enter their computers to remote-open the hatch."

"That explains one more detail…"

"Mr. Weyland, I think you should tell me all you know. Stop keeping things from me."

"I don't know much." Weyland sighed. "Only that apparently a computer virus was used to kill the systems of the ships that carried Blood Moon. Oh, and there's a surveillance picture of it." Weyland pulled out a Smartphone, and held it for Aki to see.

On it was a grainy, dark image. "That's from the inside of your ship." Weyland remarked superfluously.

Suddenly the dark moved.

A slight shimmer crossed the camera's field of vision, and suddenly, something moved in the blackness. Weyland stopped the recording. "It's not a clear image, but it will have to do." He zoomed in

The background wasn't black. It was a dark grey, and almost like a shadow, yet the edges were too sharp, something was visible.

A sharp, scythe-like object.

"That is Blood Moon?"

"I presume so. I have emptied your whole camera system, every single recording, but I haven't found anything else anywhere. A pity that the recording resets every two days."

"But how did it get past us onto our ship?"

"I don't know, to be bluntly. But I presume that it can somehow turn invisible. But I'm at a loss how. And my two experts on Blood Moon have run off."

"Experts?"

"Yep."

"What's the name of your ship?"

Aki immediately regretted asking this. Weyland's guard went up.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Not by chance it is the Eleuthera?"

"If it would be?"

"Blood Moon is after the Casks."

"You met Akkan and Paul then." It was not a question. Weyland was stating a fact.

"Does it matter? I need my weapons." With those words, Aki'ru climbed through a hatch into the dark innards of his old ship.

It was like the inside of a morgue. The bodies had been removed, yet the destruction was evident everywhere. He needed a plasma caster, and a mask. He had replacement gears in his cabin, and made his ways towards it.

The floor had tilted peleriously, and Aki did his best not to notice the scratches on the wall. He needed Eran now, he needed the xenomorph badly, but he couldn't call him. They had no comms or something like that.

And they needed it.

Grabbing his spare equipment from a locker, he rummaged through his belongings for a comm set. It was made for yautja, but he didn't doubt they could make it fit. They always could.

Putting on the mask again felt like coming home after a long hunt in dark tunnels.

The plasma caster beeped reassuringly and under his mask, Aki grinned. He was ready. Ready to take on Blood Moon.


	18. Chapter 18

Eran had watched Akkan carry Paul, and in a moment where he was too preoccupied to notice, made good use of his stealth and left the two.

He crept away through the sewage tunnels, re-tracing their steps with ease. He knew he was doing exactly the opposite of what Aki had advised him, but he had no choice. An icy chill had crept up his spine. He was surprised Akkan didn't feel it, or maybe he felt it, but didn't betray it

He, Eran, knew he was needed elsewhere. He scuttled out of the sewers through the manhole cover, and quickly scaled one of the low, sand-stone houses that made up most of Spaceport One, even though "low" was rather a bad word for houses at least ten stories high.

Clinging onto the rough sandstone, he made his way along the streets, jumping from house to house every now and then. He was like a shadow, hugging the dark walls and keeping away from the light. It wasn't like people were going to look up and see him anyway, but you never knew.

So many scents wafted through the air, delicious scents of meat, raw, bloody meat. The smell of the humans was now well-known to him. Such strange creatures those humans. They were not so different from his beloved Aki'ru. He did not fully understand their language. But he felt his recognition of the strange noises they made to communicate grow. Soon, he would understand them.

It was strange how he learned new things every day. Each day in his freedom, he discovered new, interesting things to think about. But now the possibility of Aki'ru in danger was blotting out every other though in his head.

He sniffed the air. Many scents, and amongst those exotic smells, a known quantity. Aki'ru was not far away anymore.

Now having reached the roof of the increasingly lower buildings, he could, for the first time, look over the huge space dock.

He could see humans moving along the ground, as tiny as ants beneath the huge sky ships. The vastness of this human creation made Eran stop and stare for a second. The humans were reaching for the sky. Little did he know, of course, that this was only one planet within human reach.

There were no more houses. It was a large, mostly open space with humans moving around it, in a steady, busy way.

He cast a glance at the yellowish, bloody moon riding high in the sky.

Blood Moon was now very near. He could feel it.

He had to get down there, closer to his mate. He had to make sure Aki was safe. But how?

There was only one way. He had to hide on top of those hover carriages making their way into sky dock. They emerged from a tunnel below, and made their way across the wide space into the docking area. He would find cover there.

But it was quite a drop.

He could go back and find another way in. The time he would waste would be too long. He needed to get to Aki fast.

No choice.

He jumped, hurtled through the air towards the ground and the moving carriages. Then – darkness.

* * *

"When I find Blood Moon, you stay out of the way." The mask made Aki sound more threatening than he intended to.

"I want to understand, Aki'ru. I need to know who is behind this."

"And I want my trophy."

"You can have it all you like."

The two jogged across the space dock. The Eleuthera was docked in berth number twelve, which was quite some walk away from the recovery dock, but the two managed at an agreeable speed. The scientific vessel loomed upwards, hovering a few metres above the ground, and held to the docking superstructure by large clamps.

"Come on, Aki, we don't have time to waste!" Weyland hurriedly entered an access code.

The panel beeped. "Access Denied"

"COME ON!" Weyland tried again, but no avail. The door to the lift wouldn't budge.

"It is already too late." Aki remarked.

"It's never too late. It can't have gotten at the Casks. They are hidden away. Nobody knows where they are."

"But it is in the ship. It's not letting us in."

"That's nonsense."

"It killed my ship. It can kill yours."

"Blood Moon doesn't possess more intelligence than an average beast."

"That isn't true. It spoke to me. In my mind."

Weyland stopped attacking the security panel. "What?"

"It spoke in my mind."

"I really need Akkan and Paul now!"

Suddenly, the door hissed open. The two jumped inside the lift, and Weyland pressed a button, the lift rushing upwards. "Aki'ru?"

"Yes, Mr. Weyland?"

"Can you kill this thing?"

Aki'ru suddenly realized that he was missing his hunting partner. He didn't know how to kill Blood Moon. Whilst Eran had made some remarks about it, he didn't know for sure. And Eran was far away, in the sewers, with Paul and Akkan. They wouldn't make it here in time.

But he didn't have a choice.

As the lift came to a halt, and the doors hissed open, Aki closed his eyes. His mind focused on his beloved Eran. He would return to him, alive.

And even if not, he would meet the xenomorph in the halls of glory, to which all the accomplished hunters went, after an honourable death.

They stepped out, into the Airlock.

The doors slammed shut behind them again, and the Eleuthera opened to the two.

Darkness encased Aki and Weyland, a smothering, still darkness.

The huge airlock doors closed behind them, blocking out the last elements of light, and locking them in.

_Welcome, Legionless. _A voice whispered inside Aki's head. A voice so calm and soothing, and yet it felt like sandpaper being scraped across his mind.

_Welcome, Legionless, to your own end._

"It will not be mine, but yours." Aki growled in his native language.

"Who are you talking to?"

"You speak my language?"

"I speak every language."

"It doesn't matter."

"All right." Aki heard the click of a gun being readied, and switched his mask to night vision.

The entry bay of the Eleuthera was deserted.

No humans

But no bodies either.

"We need the lights back on. We need power and we need to check if there are any survivors"

"I have no idea how this works, Mr. Weyland."

"Just watch my back."

The man turned towards a panel in the wall, and ripped it out, pushing his hand deep into a throng of cables.

After a few seconds the lights flickered on.

Weyland grinned.

_Oh, no. The tin man found the light switch. We can't have that… _The voice chuckled inside Aki's head.

_Say hello to the dark and endless night, Aki'ru. Say hello to the nothingness that awaits you._

With an audible click, the lights went out again.

"What the f-?"

"Can't you switch them back on?"

"No... The Ship's AI… It's gone. The computers are dead. This can't be…"

Aki'ru readied the plasma caster. "Let it come." He growled.

* * *

Eran had made it across the space dock twice now. He had followed Aki'ru's scent to his old ship, but the yautja hadn't stayed there for long. He had walked away again, and Eran had even managed to pursue his scent through the thicket of human and other smells. He had also managed to stay undetected, and was now standing close to another large ship. Aki'ru had come this way, and entered a pair of doors leading into a steel structure rising up beside the spaceship.

But they were closed, and resisted every attempt at prying them open.

The only choice he had was to climb. Luckily he wasn't a bad climber. The steel tower offered plenty of claw and footholds, so he ascended rather quickly.

The ship's side moved closer to him, and finally, he reached the top of the structure.

He had to get inside, yet all he could see were closed doors. The ship's hull was like an impenetrable shell in which Aki was prisoner.

Eran scouted the surface of the ship. There were no doors, nothing of the kind.

Only one opening remained. It was close to one of the docking clamps, and a bundle of cables went inside. It was quite a jump, but he should be able to make it.

Curling his tail around his spear, he steadied himself. There was no room on the spire to gather momentum, so he had to hope it would be enough.

Closing his eyes, he thought of Aki. The image of the yautja lodged itself on his inner eye, as he sized up the gap, bent his legs and jumped.

He soared through the air, and impacted hard against the ship's hull. His talons gripped the edge of the small opening.

With a feral growl, he pulled himself inside.

* * *

It was dark and cramped inside the maintenance shafts of the Eleuthera.

Eran scuttled along, doing his best not to make any noises that would betray his presence. The moment he had set foot on the Ship, he knew Blood Moon was here too.

It seemingly hadn't noticed him yet, which was strange.

Or it was too occupied with something else to notice him.

He dared not finish the thought.

* * *

Paul was restless again. A short snatch of sleep, and then Akkan had woken him rudely again.

_Eran is gone._

_What do you mean?_

Akkan had set Paul down in a space that reminded him of an old cellar, but apparently it was safe, else Akkan wouldn't have chosen it.

_Eran is gone. He stole away whilst I was occupied with you. But I decided to let you sleep at least for close to an hour. _

_How gracious of you, love. _Paul chuckled. _Where is he now?_

_Space dock. Not far from here. I can sense his mind brushing against mine every now and then. _

_He followed his friend then. _

_He has. It's not our business, right?_

_If we want the yautja to help us, we have to make it our business._

Akkan growled. _I can take care of us just fine._

_I know, sweetie. Remember what we agreed on?_

_As clear as day. _Akkan replied, grudgingly.

_Well then we have to get to space dock._

_Do I look like a street map?_

_How far do the sewers go?_

_I literally have no idea. But from what I'm thinking we should follow them. Besides, I can't really move about anywhere else. Eran must have used the roofs…_

Pauls straightened up, and pulled his coat together. _Let's go._

_You have a plan?  
I do._

_Care to share it, love? _Akkan's claw caressed Paul's shoulder, and the xenomorph bent over his lover to kiss him.

_I can access street- _He was cut off by the feeling of Akkan's hard lips on his.

* * *

Weyland had tried to resurrect the AI from backup, but it hadn't worked.

Now he and Aki'ru were moving along the corridors. There was emergency power in the engine bay, one he could switch on without interfacing with any computers.

But the way was long, and riddled with doors that wouldn't open, due to the dead AI.

And there was another Problem. The fusion engines were still running, but the governing software had died with the AI. Eventually they would over-heat, accelerating the fusion beyond control, and then the whole ship would turn into one large furnace, and yes, eventually, it would turn into one large fireball. The fire of the stars, directly on the surface of LX-239. A fusion bomb, with hundreds of tons of fuel.

There was enough explosive in the Eleuthera alone to split the planet in half, not talking about the other freighters in space dock.

And there was no manual override. No chance to stop the fusion, to jettison the fuel, nothing.

If the engines went into overdrive, there was only one chance to avert disaster.

He would have to fly the Eleuthera into space, allowing it to blow outside the planet's atmosphere.

And he wasn't sure if they managed to get the ship under their control fast enough.


	19. Chapter 19

It was the aggressive hiss that alerted Aki'ru.

The hiss of a xenomorph. The door leading off the corridor they were in slid back, and a huge praetorian emerged, roaring.

Aki didn't think twice. The xenomorph wasn't his primary target, but it was in the way.

He readied the plasma caster, but the auto-locking failed. The Praetorian's tail whipped around.

Roaring as well, he manually targeted the gun, and fired. The blaster went off, missing the praetorian by a hair's width, but blasting a sizeable hole in the side of the corridor. Aki aimed again, and fired twice in a rapid succession, coating the two in a shower of dust, yet the praetorian stalked towards him

Suddenly he felt something knocking against him. Weyland had tackled him, gun in the hand, and an aggressive snarl on his face.

Reflexively, he served a punch, trying to knock the android off him, and the gun from the Android's hand.

The praetorian hissed, and the hiss seemed to come from the deepest darkest pits of hell. The hiss morphed into a roar, and suddenly the corridor of the Eleuthera was replaced by the hard rock of the planet Hyr'kurat

Aki staggered to his feet, staring down at the pit below him.

The elder was fighting two xenomorphs, bloody gashes across his body.

"AKI'RU, MOVE!" he roared, as he tackled one of the two to the floor, slicing through its face with his wrist blades.

Aki tried to launch himself off the edge of the cliff to help his elder, yet his feet felt rooted to the floor. He could only watch in horror, as from the hole in the cliff, a large, dark, hulking form emerged.

The xenomorph Queen.

With an aggressive hiss, she slammed against the yautja with her tail. The last Aki'ru heard of his best friend was a gurgling roar.

Run.

* * *

Weyland had tackled the Yautja to the ground the moment he had started shooting randomly around. His understanding of the alien equipment was only very basic, yet he had managed to disarm the plasma caster, yet he still had to worry about the rest of the creature.

But Aki wasn't fighting back anymore. He was thrashing around, eventually bucking the android off.

He roared, a name, in his native language.

And then he stopped.

"Aki'ru?"

The yautja got up, shaking himself like a wet dog. Weyland kept his distance.

"Yes?" he replied gruffly.

"Are you all right?"

The answer was an incomprehensible roar. Weyland tilted his head.

"I go on alone. You go find your casks. I go on alone."

And with those words the yautja stomped away.

Weyland didn't mind it that way. Holding onto his old trusty revolver, he ventured on.

The powerlift was out of order, but he had managed to wrench open the door. Most doors on the ship actually had a way to manually undo them, yet the powerlift ones were closed once the power goes down.

Weyland had used his superior strength to pull it down, and was now climbing downwards, towards the engine room.

From what Paul had told him about Blood Moon, he could as well figure it wasn't interested in him. He was not alive, not in the common sense of life. Blood Moon seemed to be interested to destroy those who were alive.

He had a plan. A plan to get out of this alive, and with the Eleuthera still intact. Besides that, he needed to find Dr. Lennart and Captain Sulcove, if they weren't yet destroyed by the creature.

* * *

Akkan and Paul had worked their way towards the Eleuthera. It was a perlierious journey, especially as they had to try and keep Akkan hidden from any human eyes.

Akkan had managed to cling onto a hover truck that was heading for the spaceport, Paul wrapped around him securely. It had been a worryingly close ride, but they had succeeded. The Eleuthera and its docking structures were looming up in front of them. A grand ship, dwarfing the two of them as they ventured closer to its huge belly.

Night was falling fast now, and the ship's silhouette against the darkening sky made Paul shiver.

_Do we enter? _He turned to Akkan

_If you want to, my dear? _

Paul turned to the panel that held the lift controls. _That's strange…_

_What is? _

_The interface has somehow –_

There was a loud CRACK, followed by a whoosh. Red Lights flashed all over the tower, and a siren

sounded.

With a loud CLANG the Eleuthera jerked upwards, ripping itself free of the Docking Clamps.

_This is not good, Akkan, not good at all!_

The engines roaring loudly, the Eleuthera took off into the night sky.

_Where are they going? What's happening?_

_We need to go! _

The two of them sprinted to the small passenger transport they had used to get out to the

Eleuthera. Akkan jumped under it, whilst Paul gripped the steering wheel, and accelerated off

towards the boundaries of the Spaceport. There had to be a Port Authority somewhere. They

needed a ship to follow the Eleuthera.

* * *

Paul hadn't found the Port Authority, but he had found the Police shipyard.

Akkan had helped him scale the fence, and now they were inside, striding through the derelict forms

of ageing ships. Most of them were planetary hoppers, not capable of interplanetary flight. The ones

that were capable of interplanetary flight were mostly damaged beyond repair.

The two of them had made their way almost to the end of the shipyard, where they noticed a

strangely familiar form.

_It can't be…. _Paul exclaimed.

_But it is…_

_The Shipstern Bluff? What's that doing here?_

_Does it matter? It's the only ship that looks capable enough to catch up with the Eleuthera._

_What does a Xenomorph know of Spaceships then? _

Akkan grinned his most Xenoish grin _I read, remember? _

_Oh yeah. Akkan the literate Xenomorph. I forgot._

Playfully, the xeno slapped Paul's back.

_Let's get this to work then. _

_You've become quite a villain, my love. Cracking into ships like that…_

In a few seconds Paul had managed to override the ageing electronics, and the door slid open and

they were inside.

The ship smelled musty and old, yet it was clean.

_I remember everything, my love. Everything. _

_Do you remember how it was controlled? How it should be flown? _

_I think I do. I used to read a book about space-piloting. Yes, I think I can do that, if you help me._

_I can't really help you._

_Yes you need to, Paul. These controls were optimized for human use, whilst I am a Xenomorph._

_That's true though. _Paul sighed. _Let's get on with this._

With deft fingers, Akkan interfaced the controls. The speed of his learning awed Paul, and soon, albeit with a few misfires.

_Make it to take off. We're stealing from a police shipyard, after all._

Akkan angled the thrusters, and the Shipstern Bluff rose above the ground. The moment the landing struts left the ground, an alarm went off, and floodlights flickered into existence, illuminating the ghostly scene.

_Hurry, Akkan!_

A light went on in the small shack at the end of the yard, and a door hissed open. Through the windows of the Shipstern Bluff, Paul could see a burly man sprint out of it, heading towards them.

_I've got it! _Exclaimed Akkan and pushed the control forward. The ship groaned, and lurched forward, sending Paul tumbling to the floor. _Hold on, Paul!_

It accelerated even more, making Paul's stomach do somersaults. He felt himself being pulled by the force of the acceleration.

_Akkan, switch on the inertia dampers!_

_Oh, I forgot. Sorry!_

At an instant, the horrid feeling of being pulled apart eased off, and Paul managed to get up and secure himself to the seat beside Akkan.

_There we go! _

Spaceport One flew past them, the lights of the city turning into a blur. Paul put one of his arms across the back of his beloved Xeno, making Akkan purr. He still was tired, but this wasn't the time to sleep. A loud voice blared into the cabin:

"This is the Spaceport One Harbour Police. Stop your ship and land it in Berth 25. If you do not comply, we will bring you down!"

Akkan grinned and switched off the radio.

_They are behind us, Sweetheart. You do know that?_

_I do, Paul._

_Well, do something!_

_Your wish is my command!_

With those words, Akkan pushed the controls forward, making the Shipstern Bluff dip down and hurtle towards the ground at an alarming rate

Akkan pulled up again, and they hurtled along almost at street level. Buildings rushed past them, and the Xeno Pilot wove in and out of them, trying to shake off his pursuers.

Paul was now holding onto his seat for dear life. Surely, this was suicide? They were going almost at 200 miles per hour, racing only metres above the floor.

But Akkan, of course, managed it. He was a natural talent, flying the ship with ease.

The Police, on the other hand, could not keep up. Akkan and the Shipstern Bluff left them behind.

_Take care, Big building ahead!_

_Its part of the plan, hang on!_

The ship thundered towards the building, and Akkan angled it upwards sharply. Glass splintered, as the Shipstern Bluff raced upwards, only feet away from the glass pane of the building.

Up and up they went, until, finally, they exited the building, and shot upwards into the night sky.

_You need to sleep, Paul. _Akkan secured the controls on Autopilot, and lifted his boyfriend from the seat.

_You need to sleep too, Akkan. _

_Let's go and sleep together then. _

_This thing doesn't even have a bed._

_I don't need a bed. I'll curl up on the floor with you in my arms. _The Xeno gave Paul a rather slobbery kiss.

_All right you big softie. _

And so, they went to sleep on the floor of the ship.

* * *

Inspector Digglem listened to the Shipyard's guard telling him the whole story.

"You have any idea who it was?"

"No, none whatsoever. The Cameras didn't pick anyone up…"

"You may leave me. I'll write it down and send it to you for approval."

"Thank you, Sir." The guard exited.

Digglem turned to his desk, and opened a communications link. A hedgehog appeared on the screen.

"Digglem, I told you not to contact me." Hedgehog's voice was deep and carried a strange accent.

"Hedgehog, The Shipstern Bluff was stolen."

"That isn't my concern, Digglem."

"The thieves evaded the security system with ease!"

"That makes it interesting." Hedgehog stopped for a second. "Was it them?"

"I don't know. The Eleuthera left, a few hours ago, an unsanctioned launch, tearing half the dock with it."

"It could be them then..."

"Forgive me, Hedgehog, but who are they?"

"A human, and another being. I need them. They are an important piece of my research. Remember what I have offered you, Digglem."

"What should I do?"

"Find the Shipstern Bluff, and bring it to me."

"Where do I find you?"

"You do not find me, Digglem. I will find you. And remember, I need the human alive, and unhurt. The rest…"

Digglem waited as Hedgehog paused "The rest, all that is on the Shipstern Bluff or the Eleuthera, you can kill. Remember what I promised you."

The commlink went dark, and the Hedgehog disappeared.

Digglem rose from his seat and left his office.


	20. Chapter 20

Weyland was troubled. Of course, he didn't show it as he interfaced with the computers. But he was troubled. The Eleuthera had made a beautiful start and was now hurtling through the Atmosphere, with a few small ships in pursuit, Police probably.

He had a few hours left in the ship, and he needed to set it on a trajectory so it wouldn't hit anything when the engines combusted, then he had to find Sulcove and Lennart. With those two in his possession, he could make for the escape shuttle, leave, and watch the fireworks from a safe distance.

With a flick of his wrist he set the great ship on a new course, so it would leave the solar system by the fastest route possible. Then he let go of the dismembered computer screen he had used to interface.

The engines were roaring behind him, a hair-raising roar. Weyland was literately sitting twenty feet away from a bomb. He sighed, turning back to the turbolift shafts. He would have to climb up again. It was a feat no human would be capable of, but fortunately, he wasn't human. He could do this. He could find Sulcove, Lennart and what was left of the crew. The emergency protocol stated that in case of said emergency, the ship's commandeering staff would enter a secret room named "The Citadel". If anywhere, he would find them in the Citadel. Blood Moon seemed to be good with computers, which didn't even remotely make sense, because Blood Moon was, for what he knew of it, just a kind of Xenomorph, or something at least related to it. Xenomorphs, at least usual ones did not develop the ability to delete AIs.

Then again, it might not be a normal Xenomorph. If Olde Wood Foundation was involved, Blood Moon could have been one of their experiments. Or it was something entirely different.

The mystery had sparked Weyland's interest as he was climbing through the darkened lift shafts. The citadel had to close to the bridge, on top of the lift shaft.

He kept climbing.

* * *

Aki'ru had stalked the corridors, looking into each room at a time. He had relied on his sense of smell because Blood Moon kept playing with his eyes and his mind. It couldn't fumble with his sense of smell though

Once he had though he had been very close to it, as he smelled an acidic, rank smell. But as he had gone to investigate further, it had passed.

Suddenly, another smell came to his noticing. He knew that smell. It was a smell he very much adored. "Eran?" he carefully clicked into the dark.

"Aki?" the reply was faint and muffled, but it seemed to come from above him.

"Where are you, brother?"

"Coming to you…" With a slight rustle, something dropped out of the ventilation shaft above him, and pounced on him, putting its black, spindly arms around him.

"Hello, Eran."

"Hello, Aki."

He could hear the xenomorph's affection in his voice. Quickly, and in low tones they conferred about what had happened so far. For some reason, Aki was glad Eran had found him.

"We will hunt together now."

"Yes."

The two of them crept on, Aki still trying to smell Blood Moon out, whilst Eran was covering his behind, spear at the ready, moving on silently and controlled.

* * *

Weyland felt the ship rock slightly. Slightly meaning a few millimetres out of the ordinary. And that meant exactly one thing

They were getting boarded!

Clinging on to the Ladder, he listened intently. And yes, he started to hear the noise of an airlock door being cut open.

Hooking one arm to the rung, he pulled his revolver with his free hand and checked the ammunition. Everything seemed in order.

The cutting noise grew louder, and suddenly, with a bang, a piece of metal fell to the floor quite close to his lift shaft.

Airlock 21B3 had been breached. He needed to check on the intruders.

Wrenching the powerlift doors open, and, gun at the ready, swinging himself through the entrance, he crouched low, and slunk towards the airlock.

It was open, the red-hot metal only slowly cooling down. A person stepped through it, brandishing a flashlight and a gun, and behind him, another creature stepped through the door.

"Akkan? Paul?"

He heard a definite click, as two guns were being readied. "Weyland? What are you-"Paul's voice broke off as he quickly conferred with his xenomorph.

"Paul, what are you doing here?"

"We're after Blood Moon. Actually, we're after our friends."

"Who are your "friends"?"

"Aki'ru the Predator and Eran, his Xenomorph friend."

"And how did you get here on this ship?"

"You wouldn't guess."

"Try me."

"Well, we stole the Shipstern Bluff"

Weyland burst out laughing. "Wait, let me get this straight. You STOLE the Shipstern Bluff out of a police shipyard and used it to follow the Eleuthera, pretty much evading the whole of spaceport one's police force, and docking the ship onto a larger, accelerating vessel?"

"You pretty much summed it up, Fred."

"Blimey, you two have evolved..."

"That doesn't answer the question why you are here, Fred."

"I'm here, because I had to save Spaceport one. Blood Moon cancelled the AI out, and this ship will explode in a few hours."

"And you, completely selflessly, steered it away from the planet."

"Not completely. I need to find Dr. Lennart and Captain Sulcove."

"Well I suppose we will get on with it then. You go find your people, and we will find Aki'ru and Eran. Meet you here in two hours sharp."

"Very well, Paul. In two hours I shall be here."

* * *

After having Weyland disappear in another direction, Paul and Akkan had set off

_Do you think we can trust Weyland? He might steal the ship. _Akkan was behind Paul, one of his talons on the young man's shoulders.

_I don't think so._

_Well, I trust your judgement, dear._

_Good. Now, what do you sense? Where is Blood Moon?_

_This one is harder to trace than the last one. But I think I can feel it ever so often. It's trying not to get noticed. I think its stalking Aki'ru._

_Okay. Where are they? Can you feel Eran's mind?_

_Yes, I can. They are two levels below us. I think I can get us below by means of a ventilation shaft._

_Okay good. Just keep remembering where the ship is. _

Akkan hmmpfed_. What do you think of me?_

_I think of you very highly, my love._

_Well then you should know I'm better than any map when it comes to way-finding._

_I dooo… _Paul playfully boxed Eran's side.

_Well that should resolve your question then._

Paul started to pry at a ventilation shaft grate, eventually levering it open with Akkan's help.

_You go first, Akkan. I'll hang on to your tail. The same way we did it back then._

_Sure, my Love. _Akkan purred, and disappeared into the shaft, pulling Paul with him.

* * *

Weyland had reached the darkened bridge. The computer panels were dull, and there was no sign of life. Yet to the second glance, he could feel something. A dull whirr, something only he, an android, could detect. The whirr of a life support system running somewhere under the bridge.

The Citadel.

With a victorious cry Weyland kicked the captain's chair away, sending it flying, and removed the steel panel that lay under it. A keypad blinked up to him. Code, which code opened the citadel? He punched in the one he had from the ship's files.

Access Denied.

Growling, Weyland wrenched the panel out of the floor, and interfaced with the computer directly, his superior design overpowering the firewalls at an instant.

The trapdoor to the citadel opened with a loud hiss, and Weyland ventured inside, closing the trapdoor again.

The darkness was almost absolute, yet he managed to hear the breathing of two humans.

"Sulcove? Dr. Lennart? It's Frederic Bishop Weyland here."

"Mr. Weyland?" That was Sulcove's voice

"Captain Sulcove? Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I and Dr. Lennart are all right."

"You managed to hide. Very ingenious. Do you know what happened to the crew?"

Lennart's voice cut through the gloom. "They're all dead. Either by that thing, or the boarding party that came after it."

"Boarding party?"

"Yeah. Men with guns. We let them in, and once they were in, they started randomly shooting people. And then the darkness came… We changed the combination on the Citadel's lock…"

"That's how you survived. Well, now there's nobody else on board than my associates and me, and the Blood Moon. We need to get you to the ship, and I need to get the casks."

"The casks are gone. They got them."

"How do you know?" Weyland asked in a disbelieving voice.

"I saw it on the surveillance, before it failed."

"That's not good. We need to get you to my ship, and then out of here. You must follow me at once."

"And the rest of the crew? Some may yet be alive?"

"There's nothing we can do for them anymore. We need to get out. Follow me!"

* * *

"It's here." Eran clicked.

Aki'ru was staring into the darkness of the room, when suddenly a voice crept into his mind. A voice he had heard before.

_Welcome, Legionless. Welcome TO YOU END!_

"Show yourself!"

_Not yet, Aki'ru. Find me. Find me in the dead centre. Find me in the dark, eternal night._

A swipe of cold air rushed over Aki and something hit him hard on the back, making him topple and fall over. Eran rushed to him

"What is it? What was it?"

"It was here!"

"I know. I felt it."

"We need to find it. It said it was in the dead centre."

"What does that mean?" Eran clicked.

"I think it means the AI's interface room. Come on, Eran. Let's go!"

They raced down the corridor, oblivious to everything else.

* * *

_Paul! Paul! They are moving! They're heading for the AI Interface Room!_

_Can you catch them off before they reach it?_

_I doubt that, but hold on._

The Xenomorph started propelling itself forwards fast, Paul scraping over the smooth surface behind him.

_We're almost there! Almost!_

Suddenly Akkan stopped.

_What is it, love?_

_There's a wall. The shaft stops._

_Where does it go?_

_Well, there's one of the maintenance opening, but that will make for a detour…_

_Do we have a choice, Akkan?_

_No. We don't._

The Xeno pulled Paul and himself out of the shafts into one of the corridors. A gross stench enveloped them.

_Oh god, no. Akkan!_

_I can see it. This must have been the crew's quarters._

_This is horrible._

Akkan scooped the human up in his arms and sprinted on, towards the interface room.

* * *

"Eran, I think this is it."

As if by thought, the huge double doors to the room swung open, and Aki and Eran entered, back to back, weapons at the ready.

There was a small lamp on the desk, beside the huge computer screen and it was glowing in a faint red.

They passed through the door, and Aki felt a flutter of cold air past him, and heard something move in the darkness.

"Show yourself now." He roared.

_All in good time, Legionless._

"The time for talk is over! No you will be put down." This was Eran's voice, clicking into the dark.

The voice's tone changed. _All your pitiful weapons and your puny strength will not be enough to overcome me. I am Blood Moon. I am the future. Your future, and the future of everything. _

_I_

_Am_

_DEATH_

The last word made Aki'ru's head sting.

"Then fight us!"

_Oh, I will. _The voice chuckled. _I will break you first, Legionless. I will break you._

Aki'ru's mind sank back into the darkness of his past.

_I will make you relive your worst memories, over and over again, until you scream for mercy. I will destroy you… from within._

Suddenly, into the darkness of his mind, a pale light shone.

Blood Moon's effect eased, and Aki felt as if his mind had been dropped into a fluffy pillow.

Another voice started to speak. It was a voice unlike Blood Moon's, filled with barely contained anger and hate, bubbling with the rage so long supressed.

_If you touch him, _it whispered _I will annihilate you._


	21. Chapter 21

Aki'ru forced himself to open the eyes that he had screwed shut inadvertedly. At first he saw nothing, but then, as his eyes adjusted, the first thing he saw was Eran. Tail raised, talons curled around the spear, and the mouth distorted into a vicious snarl.

_Eran, is that you? _Aki thought.

But Eran did not reply.

Blood Moon angrily hissed and pounded against the wall than encased Aki's mind, but it could not tear it down.

"You will not touch him ever again." Eran clicked.

And suddenly, there was a sound of tearing fabric, the light of the lamp changed its hue from dark red to a normal, pale white. And before the two hunters, something materialized out of thin air, as if it had been pulled from a long sleep. Its eyes were pearly white, and the skin had taken on a greenish hue. It resembled largely a human, at least partly. Clad in a ripped army uniform, that was pierced ever so often by black, chitinous spikes that had seemingly morphed upwards from its skin. Its mouth was large, the teeth broken and jagged-looking, the cheeks ripped and widened in an unearthly grin. Behind the flaps of flesh, Aki could see an inner maw, much like a xenomorph's, twitching and moving.

The hands had developed into long claws, as had the feet, and behind it, a huge tail rose upwards, not unlike to that of a xenomorph. It was tipped with a large, scythe-like blade.

Aki'ru couldn't help but notice a large, gaping hole in the human's neck.

Eran took a step backwards.

_Oh, is little Eran afraid of what I truly am? _Hissed the Blood moon aggressively into their minds.

"We don't fear you." Aki replied.

_You will soon. Let me show you the definition of fear. _

Growling, the blood moon dropped into a lower stance, and started circling the two hunters. Aki drew his machete, and extended his wrist claws. This was it now! This thing had obliterated his crew.

Blood Moon raised its tail, and suddenly, with inhuman agility, darted towards them.

Aki raised his machete, and the creature's tail glanced off the blade harmlessly, yet he felt its talons reach for his neck, trying to wring it. He swung at the side of the creature, trying to bring his wrist blades home, but it let go of him and jumped out of his reach.

With a roar, he stormed towards it, but ran into thin air. Blood Moon had sidestepped him and was now swiping for his back, hitting the scaly skin with its clawed talons, drawing blood.

Aki roared, and turned around, only seeing blood moon being tackled head-on by Eran. He swung his spear to impale the strange creature, but it moved to the side, only avoiding the sharp metal by inches.

What it didn't avoid, though, was Eran's sharp tail, embedding itself in its side, and ripping itself out again, leaving a large bloody hole in the uniform.

Blood Moon hissed, and somersaulted backwards to get out of Eran's striking distance.

Yellowish life-liquid, was it blood, dripped from the creature's side on the floor, slightly fizzing when it came in contact with the metal plating.

Aki held his machete at the ready, and waited for the Blood Moon to make the next move. They circled each other.

_Come for me, Hunter! _The mocking voice whispered in his head. _Come for me, and finish what your friend started!_

Aki roared and swung his machete at Blood moon. As expected, it sidestepped him again. He slightly angled his next punch to the side, and felt his wrist blade slice through flesh.

Suddenly, he felt a shove and fell to the side, allowing the deadly tail-blade to slice through the air inches above his head.

Eran blocked it with the spear, and gripped it, pulling hard, unbalancing the Blood Moon. Aki propelled himself forward, head-butting the creature, and ramming his machete into its torso.

Corrosive blood spurted out, singing his skin, and he heard the creature screech loudly. It swung wildly with one of its claws, sending Eran flying.

Aki gave it a kick in the bowels, and jumped out of striking distance again.

Blood Moon squealed loudly, and gripped the machete with one talon, pulling it out of its side.

Roaring, it launched itself at Aki, machete in hand. He managed to block the first blow, it glanced off the side of his mask, and ripped his plasma caster clean off.

The second blow came at an instant, slicing his belly and making him howl in pain. Blood Moon managed to block the angry Eran with a swipe of its tail, sending the poor xeno crashing into the console, taking the light with him.

In the Gloom, Aki could see the pearly eyes, grinning at him, and the voice, now soothing and calm, whispered in his head: _Here it ends, Legionless. Here it ends. Just as it was foretold._

Aki growled, and Blood Moon brought down the knife in a silver arc.

Suddenly, a cannonshot rang out across the room, a flash of light, the hiss of a bullet, and Blood Moon's whole hand disappeared in a splatter of flesh.

Aki bucked the creature off, as a deafening barrage of gunshots sounded, tearing into blood moon's flesh, and reducing it to a pile of flesh.

At last, silence fell. A last, final silence, as the two hunters faced the door.

In the frame, both of them two guns in their hands, Akkan and Paul stood. Aki could see smoke rising from the barrels.

"It is done." He growled.

Akkan nodded his head.

"It is dead, Eran."

But unexpectedly, the Xeno was not at ease. He had uncoiled himself, and was standing ready, staring at blood moon's remains, as if he expected it to come alive suddenly.

"It was too easy." Eran clicked.

_You are truly pitiful, Legionless. A pitiful image of your brethren. _

"YOU ARE DEAD!" Aki roared.

_Puny Bullets are no match for me. _

All of a sudden, Blood Moon's remains stirred. A flash of white skin, and then something small, worm-like launched itself at Aki'ru.

He tried to duck, but he wasn't fast enough. Unlike Eran. Before Akkan and Aki'ru had even started to move, he had launched himself forward, intercepting the attack with his body. He crashed into a computer console, sending it flying, and Aki caught a glimpse of a white, writhing form, and then he heard the resounding crack of Eran's jaws on something soft, juicy. Corrosive blood spurted out from the worm's body and all over Eran, as it stopped twitching.

"It is done." Eran clicked.

"You did well, brother." Aki put his arm on Eran's left shoulder.

"You too." He returned the greeting.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we need to go!" That was Paul's voice. "The ship is damaged, but we have found a way off it. You must come with us."

Eran nodded, and so did Aki. They sprinted on, following the warrior xenomorph as it led the way.

* * *

The squeak stuck in Dr. Lennart's throat, as she found herself suddenly crowded in a room with two rather large xenomorphs, one who was carrying a strange, worm-like creature in its mouth.

Weyland was already at the controls the minute the strange party entered the Shipstern bluff, and he now blasted off. This was going to be a close one.

On the edge of his field of vision he saw the Eleuthera, engines ablaze, rush off into space. He turned his vessel, and accelerated away, maximum speed. The Eleuthera got smaller and smaller each second. They were going to make it.

The big ship, now just a speck of black against the even blacker starscape, suddenly emitted a flash of light. It quickly grew, and the Shipstern Bluff was tossed about, but held its course. Slowly, the Eleuthera disappeared in a large, beautiful explosion, making Weyland sigh.

"So, Fred, are we safe?"

"For the time being."

"What now?"

"First, I want us to piece together everything we know about Blood Moon."

"It's a parasite. The parasite itself is in Eran's jaws right now…. Aki, could you..." Paul gestured at the xenomorph. Aki quickly clicked at Eran, and he opened his jaws obediently, letting the worm drop into Weyland's outstretched hand.

"There's a small laboratory in the back of the ship. How about you, Dr. Lennart and me analyse this thing, whilst the rest can have some sleep right now?"

"Fine with me" Aki grumbled, beckoning to Eran, who quickly latched himself onto the large yautja, and, embracing each other, they fell asleep."

* * *

The Shipstern Bluff had moved quite a distance, until the three scientists emerged from the back of the ship.

"So you're saying the "Engineers" created the Blood Moon."

"Paul, I think the Blood Moon was one earlier attempt to weaponize the Xenomorph. A xenomorph after all, assimilates part of its DNA from its host." Weyland replied.

"So basically, the black goo we found in the casks was used as an accelerator. Basically the engineers bred the mutation they caused, and changed the goo, so it caused exactly the mutation they wanted. It's easy from them. You just dump a facehugger in the cask, let it mature for a few hours, break the cask and let it infest someone. Then you have a small, deadly parasite." Paul summed it up.

"A parasite that can mutate its host." Dr. Lennart broke in.

"And from that on, it'll just be looking for hosts. The one on the Planet you were on, Paul, had been in hibernation, in a holding cell, down at the passage. It had hosted an engineer, but the body was running out, and it needed a new one, or access to the goo to keep it working."

"Could have been like that, Fred. Where did this one come from then?"

"I have an answer to this, Paul. It came from this ship. The facehugger had infected Amos, the previous owner of the ship. Then the Parasite had been handed down further and further every time the ship go boarded. It was small enough to pass unnoticed, but strong enough to devour the crew once they had settled into their cryotubes. It only had to change its tactic once it boarded your ship, Aki. There, it used its telepathic powers to interface the computer, and to bring your xenomorph cargo under its command. Except Eran, which is strange, but never mind that."

"And how did it get on board the Eleuthera?" Sulcove asked.

"I propose it managed to get itself either into one of the port security guys who also stole my casks, or it somehow sneaked over and entered the ship. From there on, it infested Major Thompson, mutating his body, and causing all the damage it had caused. When you guys damaged the body far enough, it started looking for a new host. And in that one moment where it was vulnerable, transferring from host to host, Eran struck. Out of some instinct, I don't know. But he managed to kill it in the only moment it was possible."

"That doesn't answer one question."  
"And which one would that be, Aki?"

"Why did it talk to me like it did?"

"Well, that was easy actually. It was telepathic, as all xenomorphs are to an extent."

"No, I meant why it was focused on me?"

"It wasn't after you. From what we know, it might have just been a test run."

"But who was controlling it? And How?" Aki's got a point…" Paul asked.

"I don't know. A prophecy, you say? Maybe by mental imprinting? It was a sentient, self-conscious being, after all."

"So what do we do now?"

Grimly, Weyland replied: "That damage was done with the contents of one cask. There's 31 left. And I have no idea where they are."

"So back to Spaceport One."

"Back to spaceport One."


	22. Chapter 22

Weyland had turned the Shipstern Bluff about, and was just about to set the controls to auto-pilot them back to Spaceport One, when suddenly, he noticed something. A small speck of black, vividly standing out against the harsh beige of the planet.

And it was getting increasingly larger.

He took a quick peek on the mid-range radar, and it confirmed him. Three ships, in a direct line, heading straight for them. Paul stealing the Shipstern Bluff had apparently not gone unnoticed. Well. How could he have expected anything else? Muttering slightly under his breath, he turned the ship, and angled her towards the planet on a different trajectory. He had no chance but to refuel, but apparently, this was being made impossible on spaceport one. But a ship as small as the Shipstern Bluff, only fourteen metres long, was able to refuel almost anywhere. Any mining establishment, most of them had fuel reserves. Reserves he could use to refuel his ship.

But for now, he had to escape the three police vessels. They were fast, undoubtedly, and he didn't really know if the Shipstern Bluff could keep up with them, or even outrun them. Technology had advanced, after all. But what he didn't know was that the previous owner had upgraded the ship's tech, so he should at least stand half a chance. But his fuel was low, and that meant no unnecessary sprints.

Scanning the surface of the planet, he made out three mining colonies, all within his reach.

He changed the ship's trajectory again, slightly accelerating. It would look as if he had turned around and was heading for the police ships on the radar, but the 2-d imaging technology would allow him to dive below the ships, accelerate away and disappear in the atmosphere's interference before they could lock any weapons on to him.

The ships grew larger. Three larger vessels, and one small patrol speeder. The larger ones were no worries, but the patrol speeder was dangerous. It was fast and nimble, and possibly able to chase him down into the atmosphere.

None of them were able to reach light speed though.

Could this be his chance? He was twelve light seconds from the surface, distance closing. Was the engine's reaction fast enough for him to engage it for eight seconds and thus pass the three ships and enter the upper atmosphere, then braking for re-entry?

Shutting down forward motion, he calculated everything. There were quite a few variables, and it would use a lot of fuel.

Quickly calculating all possibilities, he decided to make for the nearest mining establishment. The distance would leave him with enough fuel to manoeuvre and land the ship without harming it.

There were quite a few things he couldn't calculate. The possibility of him hitting another ship, which was one. He couldn't see any ships on his long range radar, but that didn't mean anything, due to the atmospheric interferences.

But it was worth a try, though.

He began initiating the launch sequence.

"What are you doing?" a gruff voice asked from the gloom of the captain's cabin.

"I'm trying something. Something that gets us past those police ships."

Aki'ru walked up to the captain's chair, and sat down beside Weyland.

"What is your plan?"

"You'll see. Hang on tight."

A green light winked at him, telling him stage two of the light speed drive was ready and charged.

Now for stage three.

Weyland pushed the lever home, and held onto it with a vice-like grip.

"And engage!" he whispered, pressing the final button.

The Shipstern Bluff jerked forwards, the engines roaring loudly even inside the ship, and suddenly, everything became a blur, as the ship jumped to light speed.

"You are insane!" Aki growled.

But Weyland was concentrating. Concentrating on counting down the seconds, until he could move the lever back and disengage light speed.

Three

Two

ONE!  
Weyland wrenched the lever back, almost dislocating it, and the Shipstern Bluff was ejected from light speed.

Immediately, the planet blotted out the whole forward windows. They were falling down now.

"Weyland?"

"I'm tryiiing…"

The loud engine noise had brought both xenomorphs to the bridge.

The Shipstern Bluff still fell through the yellow sand clouds, the engines making a fearsome cut-out sound.

"No no no no no NO!" Weyland jumped up, and raced towards the back of the ship. Behind the hold was the engine room, filled with bad air and two fusion engines.

The control screens were both showing red. Red was bad. Red meant the fusion had stopped.

He had maybe seventy seconds until the Shipstern Bluff would hit the ground, and all of them would be obliterated. He had to jumpstart the first engine. Growling, he kicked it, and then started interfacing the computer, to open up the inspection hatch.

It duly swung open, and he peered inside. The fusion tips were both glowing, but there was visible build-up of residue on them. That's the reason the fusion wouldn't spark.

He had to reverse the gas flow, and the magnetic field, the second thing being easier than the first one.

He reached for the two gas pipes, sealing them, but nevertheless allowing gas to escape into the engine room. Weyland exchanged them, and then sealed the inspection hatch, busying himself with the computer screen. In a few seconds, the magnetic field was reversed.  
Only twelve seconds left.

Weyland jumped back into the control chair, and started to engage the ignition sequence, hoping that reversing the gas flow had done the trick.

With an interrupted roar, the engine burst into life, and the Shipstern bluff started to pull up. One engine would be close.

Very close.

The ship burst through the clouds, just metres above the houses of the mining establishment, and, with a cloud of smoke, it pulled up again, and hovered there.

With an expert hand, Weyland set it down on the sandy ground just outside the small houses.

"Weyland?"

"Aki'ru?" he turned towards the yautja.

"We have been here before."

"When?"

"The day we arrived at the planet."

"Yeah, so? I fail to see you point."

"Well." Aki grunted "I don't suppose we'll be very welcome."

Weyland rubbed his nose. "If so, then don't leave the ship. We don't have the fuel to reach the next establishment."

"Very well. Be careful when talking to the governor though. He is dangerous."

"I'll bear that in mind."

* * *

Weyland had left the Shipstern Bluff loaded with his crew, and only had – against Akkan's will – taken Paul. Not as much as insurance, more as someone who could judge the situation as well.

"Paul, stay with me. We will try and manage this without any power play and bloodshed, all right?"

"Sure, Fred."

They entered the saloon.

It was filled with pioneers and miners, in their dirty clothing, bending over their drinks and murmuring in subdued voices. A momentary silence arose as Weyland entered.

Quickly, he moved towards the bar, Paul in his wake. The Barman was wiping the counter. "What can I do for you?" he mumbled

"Information. I'm gonna need the CEO of this establishment."

"The governor then."

"That would do quite fine." Weyland gave the barman an encouraging smile.

"Well, he lives three houses along the road."

"Thank you very much."

Weyland had turned around, when he suddenly heard a loud, metallic click.  
"And why are you interested in the governor?"

With the swipe of a hand, Weyland beckoned Paul to wait, and he received a small affirmative nod in return. He turned around, facing the barman with the old fashioned rifle.

The air in the Saloon was still.

"I need to refuel my ship. We crash-landed here, without fuel. We are willing to pay. In terrestrial dollars."

"Frederic Bishop Weyland!"

Weyland spun around, facing the man that just had entered the saloon.

"Who are you?"

"I, dear Mr. Weyland, am the governor."

"Honoured to meet you."

"I thought, Mr. Weyland, you died a few hundred years ago? And now here you are, not looking older than thirty-five, asking for fuel."

"Does it matter? You tell me the price, I'll tell you where to put the fuel, you receive payment, and we depart. End of story."

"Oh, but that would be just too good, wouldn't it." The governor smiled coyly.

"I'm a businessman. It's how I usually do my business."

"You don't see, Weyland. I'm not an imbecile. I watch the news, and I recognized your ship, outmanovering each and every police vessel stationed in spaceport one. Fantastic flying, by the way."

Weyland's jaw set. "What does that have to do with us doing business right now?"

"You see, I could make so much more money out of selling you off to Spaceport One's police forces. You're a wanted man…"

"Well, why don't you?"

"You see, I like to keep all options open for me. And there's something that's rather more interesting than selling you out to the authorities."

"And that would be?" Weyland's voice had cooled down.

"Your ship."

"In exchange for?"

"Your lives. Simple as that."

The room was now utterly silent. Weyland thought about his options. He counted three guns, not including the barman and the governor when he entered. The Barman's position was too good, and even if this ended in a fight, there would be casualties on both sides. On his, most notably Paul, and he still needed the scientist.

Besides, the bullets could cause structural damage to his chassis, which would be hard to repair out here. No, fighting, here, wasn't an option.

Creating a hostage situation wasn't easy as well, because the governor was on the other side of the room, and he didn't know how good he was. God, he hated entering encounters like this without a plan B.

"Very well, Governor. How much do you want?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"How much money? For fuel and to let us go?"

"Apparently, you don't understand. I don't want money. I want the ship."

"It's quite old, and not much better than modern ships."

"It is vastly faster than most vessels I have seen, and yet even capable of interplanetary flight. And I want it, and I want it NOW!"

"Well then suit yourself. Activation key is 234518. Go and get it." Weyland leaned against the Bar. The governor seemed to be taken aback by his actions. But not for long. He pulled a small communicator out of his suit pocket, and turned away, starting to talk into it. Weyland grabbed Paul, pulled him to the Counter, and instructed the Barman to make them drinks. Whilst the man turned away, Weyland whispered into Paul's ear: "Paul, tell Akkan to hide the crew away, there's a hiding place in the hold, below the floor. Tell them to wait for my signal, and don't attack. I've got a plan."

Paul nodded, his eyes slightly widened in worry."

The Barman plonked the two glasses of yellowish whisky down in front of them, and they both took a sip.

"Mr. Weyland, now that you're here, make yourself comfortable." The governor walked up to them, and beckoned to the barman. "It's really a pleasure to meet you right now in in person. You see, I've read your biography, over and over again."

"It's a pleasure to hear that you enjoyed it so much."

"As a Businessman yourself, you shouldn't have any hard feelings towards me. I'm just doing it for the business. It wasn't personal, you see."

"Of course not. No hard feelings."

"Who is your silent companion then?" The governor grinned.

"That is Mr. Hawthorpe, my secretary."

"Your secretary? Oh god, I really need one too." The governor grinned again, spinning a biro pen in his hands. "It really is fantastic that this meeting could happen. Fan-tas-tic!"

He slapped Weyland's back. "You've got to come to my house tonight. We're gonna have a fantastic banquet in your honour."

Weyland forced himself to smile. Wait and see, he thought. "Sure! I would love to come!


End file.
